Politics & Government

City Council Preview: Weed Abatement Program and New Police Vehicles

The council will motion to approve a weed abatement program that would charge identified residents for failing to remove the invasive plant from their property.

The council has a handful of items to tackle during Monday’s 6 p.m. meeting, with a public hearing regarding a weed abatement program being among them.

The council is trying to rid the city of weeds that have become a “nuisance,” by ordering specified property owners (listed on pages 323-345 of the agenda packet) to clear their land of the invasive plant or face charges.

The weed abatement program is contracted between the city and county, and aims to protect areas identified as potential fire hazards, according to city documents. The city is required to create a resolution to address the problem, and is holding a public hearing tonight where the council will motion to adopt the program.

An initial notice was sent to the property owners in January, ordering them to remove any problematic weeds located on, in front of and behind certain portions of their property, the report states.  

To ensure compliance, property inspections would take place on May 15, with a deadline of two weeks being given to land owners who failed to remove the weeds. If non-compliance continued beyond the deadline, charges would be assessed and the county would take action to have the lot abated. A county report states, “If after the public hearing the weed abatement program is approved for your property, the county is authorized by its contract with cities and by state law to perform an inspection of your property to determine whether the property has been cleared of hazards according to Minimum Fire Safety Standards.”

If the program is accepted, property owners would be charged a $41 fee per parcel to cover the cost of creating and maintaining a file in the county database and would receive a $250 fee for failing to complete the abatement work before the county inspection, which would begin after the deadline date. Additional fees are listed on page 321 of the attached agenda packet.

Community members are welcome to attend the hearing and voice any concerns or questions. Meetings are held at the council chambers, located at 7351 Rosanna St.


Here are a couple other items on the agenda:

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  • The council will motion to approve a bid for two 2012 Chevrolet Tahoe police vehicles. The police department reported that two of their vehicles currently in-use are having major problems, and that the cost to fix them would exceed their value. The bid is in the amount of $59, 570 from Chevrolet of Watsonville. The purchase of these vehicles has been budgeted into the Fiscal Year 2012-13 capital improvement budget.
  • The council will vote to award a contract with Hatch Mott MacDonald (HMD) in the amount of $105,900 for the Wren Avenue and Church street resurfacing project. The project will pay for the replacement of asphalt, the installation or replacement of 18 American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant access ramps and new stripping. The project will extend along Wren Avenue to Uvas Park Drive to Mantelli Drive, and Church Street from Welburn and Farell avenues.

Detailed information on each agenda item is available in the agenda packet. Just click on "packet" next to the March 19 meeting date.


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