08-10-2015 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Monday, August 10, 2015 7:00 o'clock pm. 13. AMEND RESOLUTION IDENTIFYING ADMINISTRATIVE CITATION OFFENSES (continued) Printup asked how this is different. Levang stated this deals with these specific items, such as the grass and weeds, vacant and damaged buildings. Barnhart stated the re -inspection fee is based on citations issued or ongoing inspections. Barnhart stated this would allow Staff to issue an administrative citation and that none of the definitions are being changed in the code. Printup asked if this tool has been used in the past. Barnhart stated he does not know whether Staff has done that in the past and that the majority of them are issued by the police department. Cornick stated he has some neighbors that have dedicated a portion of their lawns to prairie grass or milkweed and asked whether there is any protection in this ordinance for that. Barnhart stated the ordinance does include protections for size of lot and was primarily written for urban, manicured yards. Barnhart stated when the ordinance is applied to a rural area, they have to be cautious, but that the ordinance does have an opening for prairie. Gaffron stated he is not sure whether the ordinance says two acres or more, but if someone has a large lot, that person only has to mow the area directly around the house and not the entire lot, which has been in the code for a long time. Barnhart noted there are some long grass areas at city hall and that in his view the ordinance provides enough openings to satisfy those situations. Cornick stated he has also seen a number of signs that say this is a bee safe lawn. Cornick stated he is not quite sure what a bee safe lawn is but that it is his understanding it includes some type of weed. McMillan indicated they would be native plants and that bee safe is basically about not using chemicals. McMillan stated she is aware of lots in her neighborhood that also have more natural areas and that in her view Staff can tell the difference between what is intentional and an overgrown lawn that is neglected. Barnhart stated the language can be clarified in the annual review if there are issues. Printup moved, Levang seconded, to amend RESOLUTION NO., a Resolution Adopting Penalties for Administrative Offenses Within the City of Orono, by adding Section 18-238, Long Grass and Weeds; Section 86-4, Vacant Buildings; Section 86-5, Damaged Buildings; and Section 86-70, Expired Building Permits. VOTE: Ayes 5, Nays 0. Page 29 of 32