If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

[chrisg]

So, is winter, lots of snow and rain (AKA ICE). So what idiot goes for walks after an ices storm!. We I get a phone then threatening letter from the city saying I am in violation of city snow removal code. I have 12 hours to remove the snow and ice from my sidewalk else I will be fined $300.00 plus cost of having a contactor come out and clean it!!

I called the city, and said what?s this all about; my sidewalk is as clean as everyone else?s in the neighborhood. They said, ya, someone complained about all the houses in your neighborhood! The guy was not even from the area!

You would think that the City has better things to do then to send out threatening letters and phone messages. ( a friendly reminder would do) I got the City to send me a letter to saying to forget about the issue and its closed.

I think there are people who look for patches of ice just to fall and make a stink!!!!!

So, has anyone else been called on city bylaws. (Ya, I know not all of you know what snow is, so cant use that bylaw)

 

[fishrdan]

Re: If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

Don't people have better things to do than waste our tax payer dollars, and they guy wasn't even from your neighborhood Seems the city should have told the guy to ...

Just thank your lucky star you don't live in a gated community with a homeowners association, HOA. my buddy has received nasty letters threatening fines because his grass was longer than X inches or he had a brown spot in the lawn. Funny thing, his yard puts the others in the neighborhood to shame.

Probably some grumpy fart with nothing better to do than cause problems

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

Do you own the property that the sidewalk lies on, or it is it on the municipal right of way? If it is a public right of way, the next question is whether or not you have an easement on it. If not, I would be inclined to tell your town government to pound sand. In fact, you might want to tell them that they need to get out and clean that sidewalk right now!

Having had my fun, I have to say that chances are that you do have an easement, and are responsible for the sidewalk. Then again, I am a recycled 60s hippie, so my anti-establishment streak just kicked in again - I wonder what would happen if you put up "no trespassing signs" on either end of the sidewalk, at the boundaries of your property! LOL, you might just stir up a hornet's nest with that one!

Y'all can relax though - I always thought that the Weather Underground were a bunch of jerks that didn't follow our nonviolent hippie behavior. I promise that I will not be blowing up any sidewalks, or calling the DPW guys bad names!

 

[DJ]

Re: If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

-It's called CYA.

-The city owns the sidewalk BUT you are responsible for keeping it clear.

-Municiplaties are short on cash.

We've all had the HOA argument here. Personally, I like them. I don't like looking at what other folks might call "treasure".

-

 

[patrickray]

Re: If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

Here in Ohio, If you attempt to shovel/clear the snow and ice and someone falls. Its your fault. If you do nothing, just leave the snow and ice as is. Then its an act of nature. No one's liable.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

I don't like looking at what other folks might call "treasure".

Just can't resist...And just why should your personal sight preferences translate into grief for others? What happened to the "free country" concept?

 

[OldePharte]

Re: If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

Across the lake from us is a really active property owners association. After 9/11 a home owner, an ex Marine, installed a flagpole in his yardand ran up the biggest flag that he could. The POA wrote him a letter stating that flag poles are not legal and he X number of days to take it down. So he wrote back and dared just one of them to touch his flag pole. They went back and forth until the homeowner sent all correspondence to the local papers. The POA backed off real quick and granted him a variance.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

In town the road maintenance workers snow blow and salt all the sidewalks for the children's safety going to/from school.

Where I live...... no sidewalks..... but if I fail to keep my mailbox clear the postal carrier leaves a nasty note and will not deliver my mail.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

How about this for insane..
Right over the bridge from me is Cape Coral, Fl.
HUGE boating town. Houses on water canals, marina's and all around pleasant place to live. It is a violation of city code's to have a boat on a trailor in your own driveway! They will write you a citation for having your property ON your property..They recently reversed an law that you could not park a WORK truck or van on your property as well..If you had a Bob's locksmith sign on your work truck, you got a ticket..For earning a living to pay your property taxes! Me, I live in the sticks...lol

but hey..no snow

 

[DJ]

Re: If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

Just can't resist...And just why should your personal sight preferences translate into grief for others? What happened to the "free country" concept?

There isn't anything "free" about it. There are maintenance fees and dues.

You can live wherever you want. That is free.

However, when one signs a contract agreeing to the rules, they are obliged to obey them. In other words, they abdicated some of their rights.

If you don't like the rules. DON'T LIVE THERE. You don't have to.

 

[lowkee]

Re: If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

Chris, we have to pay property tax on our cars, here! I'm waiting for a tax bill for my couch.. maybe even my wife!

DJ, Glad to hear your HOA is still on your good side. I hope it remains that way.

My entire family lives in one HOA neighborhood or another. They always tout about all the stuff which is included and how kids on four wheelers are not barreling down the street (like in my neighborhood). The next breathe is always "They enacted such and such new rule! Can you believe it?!" or "They upped the HOA fees to $325/month!" and my favorite "I got fined $300 for having a quarter-sized dent in my garage door!".

I have no HOA, pay no fee, mow my own grass, have a few dents in my garage door, park my boat in my yard, talk to my neighbors instead of legally threatening them and the kids on the four wheelers, yeah they are what makes a neighborhood to me. We even have an old fashioned sidewalk system in our neighborhood.. grass!

I hear all about the greatness of HOA's until the people ruled by them realize the nastiest (and often pickiest) person always chairs the HOA, and even the perfect neighbor can fall victim to the pettiness and greed of the HOA. It is government, after all.

They sure look pretty driving through.. when the lawn isn't x inches too long! How trashy!

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

There isn't anything "free" about it. There are maintenance fees and dues.

You can live wherever you want. That is free.

However, when one signs a contract agreeing to the rules, they are obliged to obey them. In other words, they abdicated some of their rights.

If you don't like the rules. DON'T LIVE THERE. You don't have to.

That's bull and you know it. Maintenance fees? What does it cost anybody for me to park whatever I want in my driveway, or my front yard for that matter.

Dues? To pay for all the letters and postage telling someone to move their boat or take down their flagpole?

I know it won't happen, but those rules should be prohibited and if you don't like what you see, then "DON'T LIVE THERE. You don't have to."

Seems like that would go a long ways to preserve freedom in this country.

pursuant to the opinion of the members, this comment is edited out...Boatbuoy

 

[DJ]

Re: If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

This is my third one. Hmmmm, maybe I don't have any issues because I OBEY THE RULES! What a concept!

I know my neighbors and always talk to them. We're NOT secretly plotting against one another.

-I don't have to look at my neighbors trash cans, which some people think are "yard art".

-I don't have to look at non operational vehicles in someones front yard.

-I don't have ATV's flying up and down the street at 2:00 AM.

-I mow my own yard. The community areas are nicely maintained.

-I don't have to listen to air chisels and air ratchets at 2:00 AM. I can work on something, in my garage-no problem. I KEEP IT IN THE GARAGE.

I pay EXTRA to live here and would do it again and again and again.

I'm trying to figure out just how bad I have it.

We have a CHOICE. We can or we do not have to. I'm trying to figure out what is wrong with that.

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

BoatBuoy,

Did you read that last line before posting? Man...way overboard bud....
But guess what, Thats why we live in America, freedom of speech AND where you live either the ghetto or the country club..

 

[projecthog]

Re: If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

It was inapropriate!

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

Dockside Chat Here to talk not only about boating but just want to enjoy the huge community of members at iboats? This is the place for you! This area is highly moderated so please keep it clean, be respectful of others and just be nice.

 

[DJ]

Re: If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

Dockside Chat Here to talk not only about boating but just want to enjoy the huge community of members at iboats? This is the place for you! This area is highly moderated so please keep it clean, be respectful of others and just be nice.

You're right.

I didn't think defending a life style, I chose, would be such a big deal.

My whole point was that we do have choices, I made mine. Unfortuneately, when it comes to City/Municiple issues, you may not.

 

[lowkee]

Re: If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

lowkee,

This is my third one. Hmmmm, maybe I don't have any issues because I OBEY THE RULES! What a concept!

DJ, first.. calm down. We're sharing experiences and opinions, here. Nobody is going to force you to drive through my quiet, picturesque neighborhood if DON'T WANT TO. Then again, maybe I could enact a town ordinance requiring it

 

[DJ]

Re: If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

lowkee,

I am.

I wasn't really directing my response at you. I see I started with your name. My oversight. I'll fix that.

I was addressing the issues that people have with HOA's. That's fine. A potential homeowner has that choice. I've moved a lot and lived in both (HOA and non). You know my preference.

I'll say again that City/Municipal ordinances, we don't have too much control over, other than elections and civil activity.

I do get involved in City Council meetings, etc. Believe it or not, I am nine times out of ten on the side of the business or homeowner.

Some of those ordinances seem to be knee jerk reactions to a very vocal few. A real pain-sometimes.

 

[jaxnjil]

Re: If there is a city bylaw, someone will call you on it???..

dj answered the question pretty well in all of his posts. if you dont understand that, maybe you can understand this. you live in a DEMOCRACY where you are guaranteed certain rights. but no one ever said it was a free society where you allowed to pick and choose the laws you want, and ignore the ones you dont like