'Weed and Clean' - a New Program - by Mayor Bart Peterson

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'Weed and Clean' - a New Program
by Mayor Bart Peterson
this is a monthly message from the Mayor to Indianapolis' Neighborhoods

As neighborhood leaders, many of you are familiar with the negative ripple effect that overgrown properties strewn with trash create for our neighborhoods. These eyesores threaten public health, lead to neighborhood blight, depress property values and deter neighborhood investments, while all too frequently sticking taxpayers with the cleanup bill. This month, I’d like to share the specifics with you about a new, collaborative and streamlined partnership between city and county government to rid our neighborhoods of weeds and trash.

The “Weed and Clean” program is a partnership among the Department of Public Works (DPW), the Marion County Health Department (MCHD) and the Mayor’s Action Center (MAC). It prevents overlapping enforcement and creates centralized communications, allowing each agency to better target its resources, improve communications in fielding calls, and bring a greater number of problem properties into compliance more quickly.

Prior to Weed and Clean, DPW and MCHD were charged with cleaning up overgrown grass, weeds and trash on properties and lots not maintained by their owners. In 2002, DPW and MCHD issued 13,000 weed and trash violations. Of these 13,000, approximately 3,600 properties were mowed and cleaned up and approximately 2,000 ended up in court. Property owners of the remaining 7,600 violations voluntarily complied.

Both agencies – due to antiquated laws – used entirely different methods to address overgrown properties and trash, including different computer systems and different methods of reporting violations.

At the same time, DPW had the legal authority to bill property owners for cleanup costs. MCHD, on the other hand, would take the property owner to court – taking six to eight weeks. If unsuccessful in court, MCHD then was required to do the work and cover the cost. All too often, taxpayers would end up footing the bill for delinquent property owners and the neighborhood residents who reported the weeds and trash would get varying results.

Sounds complicated? It was!

Weed and Clean, our new, streamlined system, will be followed by both agencies. Here’s the process:

Potential weed and trash violations are reported to MCHD at (317) 221-2143 or the Mayor’s Action Center at (317) 327-4MAC. Information is entered directly into a joint computer system, and the report is assigned to one of the 45 health inspectors for an initial inspection. If there is a violation on the property, a notice is sent to the property owner. The owner then has 10 days to bring the property into compliance. At the end of 10 to 14 days, the property is re-inspected. If it is still not in compliance, a $50 pre-payable ticket may be issued and crews are scheduled to mow and clean the property. The property owner is billed for the cleanup. Unpaid invoices are added to the next property tax bill and collected as delinquent taxes. Repeat offenders may be issued a $100 ticket upon re-inspection, where the property is found not in compliance. Repeat offenders also may face legal action, including fines of up to $2,500 per day.

Weed and Clean brings several new benefits to the City. First, it will result in better coordination between DPW and MCHD with technology and case management. Second, it will save time and money by keeping our agencies and their personnel out of court and in the field. Third, it will charge the offenders rather than the public. Since both agencies now can bill delinquent landowners on their property tax bill instead of seeking court fines, both DPW and MCHD should be able to recoup all the cost of their services. Finally, it will lead to more cleanups, freeing up personnel and resources to mow and clean at least 1,000 more properties each year.

I’m pleased we’ve fashioned a solution to reduce unsightly weeds and trash in our neighborhoods. It sends a clear message to delinquent property owners: the City of Indianapolis simply won’t tolerate overgrown weeds and trash in any neighborhood in this city.