Missouri City code enforcers have served notice that they’re prepared to crack down on property owners with high grass, junked cars or fences still in disrepair from Hurricane Ike.
“To keep all our neighborhoods looking their best and to protect property values around the city, we are stepping up efforts to carry out the city’s Code Enforcement program,” said Mike Fogarty, code enforcement coordinator.
“More than seven months have passed since Hurricane Ike hit the region, so we are eager to have all subdivisions restored to their condition before the storm,” Fogarty said. “By intensifying our code enforcement efforts, we are fulfilling our mission to keep Missouri City clean and safe.”
Acting at the direction of the City Council, city inspectors will begin issuing citations on May 18, the city said in a statement, if they observe residential properties with:
→ Grass or weeds higher than 9 inches;
→ Junked or abandoned vehicles;
→ Trash or debris piled in the yard or street, or trash containers left out before or after designated times for trash collection, or trash containers visible from a public roadway;
→ Vehicles parked on grass;
→ Storm-damaged structures including downed fences;
→ Pools that “have not been properly maintained.”
Some of those violations could land residents in court, the city says.
“For major storm-damaged structures that are still in disrepair, such as damaged rooofs, homeowners will be cited directly to court unless they can provide documentation outlining sufficient reasons why repairs have not been completed,” the city statement said. Such documentation should be provided to city officials by May 18.
The city began such neighborhood “code sweeps” in August of 2008, and said since that time more than 4,200 “first-notice” letters have been issued for code violations. Of those, 83% were corrected before further action was taken.
Of the remaining 700-plus violation, more than600 were corrected after a second letter, the city said. The remaining 100 or so property owners were “cited to court” for non-compliance with city code.
“While we appreciate the majority of citizens are complying with our code enforcement initiatives, there are still outstanding violations that must be addressed,” Fogarty said. “Missouri City was honored as one of America’s ‘Best Places to Live’ and we want to continue to maintain the highest housing standards.”
Code violations carry maximum fines of $500 per occurrence. Uncorrected violations can be cited daily.
The city said it is providing a schedule of code sweeps at its web site.
