Keeping the township beautiful can be a complicated thing councillors here found out May 22 when the bylaw enforcement officer suggested passing a bylaw that gives her more control over derelict properties.
And the township itself could be on the hook in a couple of instances for unsightly properties that it owns.
Bylaw enforcement officer Maurita Boyle told council its unpassed clean and clear bylaw, when added to the township’s property standards bylaw, would give her more authority and reasons for approaching landowners and tenants about the condition of their properties.
Councillor Jim Curry remembered council discussing such a bylaw and asked, “Has it passed?”
Chief administrative officer Patty Sinnamon said it was discussed and drafted but has not yet been approved.
Curry said one thing he remembers is property owners must keep their grass cut to no more than eight inches, and he has seen some properties where it is a foot high.
Boyle told him she can work on that issue, and said when most people are approached they do the work.
But Mayor Bruce Whale cited a reference in the draft bylaw that talked about “unsightly” conditions, and said, “You can’t measure unsightly.”
Councillor Neil Driscoll had another take on the issue of property standards and it was somewhat uncomfortable for councillors.
He said township grass on road allowances is now over a foot high. He agrees that there should be limits in urban areas, but wondered about rural sections. He said with the township’s own property so overgrown it would be difficult for it to face a challenge from a private citizen.
Boyle said she could add that issue to the draft bylaw.
Driscoll added that cutting roadside grass is also a safety issue and Mapleton must also meet county weed control regulations.
Sinnamon said the township has to cut its sideroads.
Public works director Larry Lynch explained the township cuts those twice a year, but this year there is “a big problem.”
Road crews generally do the work in June, but roadsides were already overgrown in May.
He said the township again cuts roadside grass in September, but this year it is possible a third cut will be needed before the winter, depending on the weather.
Whale said the township is bound “to control the spread of weeds” but he understands Driscoll’s issues.
“We should probably meet our own conditions,” Whale said.
Driscoll said he has other issues. The township has been dealing with derelict vehicles and vehicles parked on properties without a licence, and they have to be removed or be licenced to be legal.
“Go into our own back yard,” he said of the Drayton Fire Department. He explained an unlicenced fire truck has sat at the fire hall “for months,” and that is not the fault of the fire department.
“It should be licenced or gone,” Driscoll said of the township following its own rules.
Whale said those are “good comments.”
He added that in looking at the bylaw, the township might want to change some of the wording in it. Boyle was hired earlier this year and had no part in drafting that unpassed bylaw.
Driscoll said council should have people asking themselves what it might cost them if they do not meet the township property standards.
Whale suggested a “set cost.”
Driscoll said in dealing with property owners, “You can tell them what the equipment is worth.”
Boyle said there is a minimum set of hours for such work if the township is forced to do it, and the cost can be added to the tax bill of the property owner.
Whale suggested the cost of the township doing the work be reviewed annually so it remains up to date.
Driscoll said that is a good idea.
Councillor Mike Downey asked if the bylaw would affect all zones, or just residential properties.
Boyle said including all zones is “iffy. Some agricultural properties have 60 vehicles parked in a back field.”
Downey said he knows of “a number of industrial and commercial lands that wouldn’t come close” to meeting the bylaw standards set for residential zoning.
Sinnamon said the way the bylaw is written in draft form, it would include everything.
That prompted Downey to ask, “How many people are you planning on hiring?”
Boyle said she works on her own, and reminded council she works on a complaints basis. She added, “I see a lot” of areas that could be subject of complaint.
Downey wondered about repair shops and garages, and how long they should be allowed to park an unlicenced vehicle.
Whale wondered what residents could be charged.
Downey noted some people are getting ready for a demolition derby that is coming in August and those cars on those properties qualify as derelict.
“It becomes problematic if you live to the letter of the law,” he said.
Boyle said most of her work deals with residences, and there are “only a couple of agricultural” properties she receives calls about. “It’s working with people.”
She said it is properties with six to 10 old buses and yards with washing machines and dryers sitting in them that people are going to call and complain about. “They’re the ones that are going to end up getting the orders down the road,” she said.
Whale asked her about Downey’s concerns when issues are only temporary.
Boyle said, “People complain only in urban areas,” and people in the country “turn a blind eye” to most property standards issues.
Sinnamon pointed out a section of the bylaw covering such cases as vehicles worked on for demolition derbies.
Driscoll added, “I could have farm equipment by grandfather used that I might like to use again.”
Whale said, “Most farms do.”
Driscoll said if a property with such vehicles is “kept neat and tidy, there’s no problem.”
Whale said of the bylaw, “You’re never going to get it perfect. He added it will be in the enforcement where people learn they will need to comply. If not, he said, the township is wasting Boyle’s time.
Whale said the bylaw should be considered with comments from public works, because dandelions can grow a foot high in a couple of days.
He said perhaps, “If it is a frivolous complaint, charge the complainant.”
Whale concluded, “Let’s see what we can accomplish. A two foot high piece of timothy isn’t unsightly.”
Driscoll said, “Unless it’s on a 60-foot road allowance.”
