Council Will Be Asked to Waive Weed-Abatement Fee

By Ventura County Star, Calif.

Apr. 26–Ventura city officials said Friday they will ask the City Council next month to waive a new, controversial $99 fee for weed-abatement inspections.

The city sent letters to more than 1,200 property owners in hillside areas this month notifying them about the new $99 fee, which would have to be paid even by those who clear their own weeds.

But a city media release issued Friday said Mayor Christy Weir will ask the council at its next meeting, May 5, to waive the fee. City Manager Rick Cole and Fire Chief Mike Lavery indicated they will support the recommendation, according to the city statement.

If the council agrees, those who have already paid the fee will get refunds, officials said.

Last year, the city hired an independent auditor who said the costs of city fire prevention measures, such as inspections to make sure hillside residents clear brush and weeds away from their homes as required by law, could be passed on to residents.

The council later approved the fee and others as part of an annual fee update in June.

Affected property owners, however, were not specifically notified about the fee, and there was no public comment on it at the June council meeting.

“Our goal is to do right by our residents, and we owe them better communication when city decisions affect them directly,” Weir said.

If the inspection fee proposal is revived next year, “we will discuss the rationale for charging a fee with the community prior to approving anything,” she said.

Affected property owners still must complete and return by June 1 the forms they received from the city to certify they have cleared their brush and weeds.

For more information, call 654-7791.

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Copyright (c) 2008, Ventura County Star, Calif.

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