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Home My WebLink About1981-12-08; City Council; N/A; 1982 Weed Abatement Program,-l co I co I N ,-l 2 0 H t; <: ...l H g 0 0 u CARLSBAD FIRE DEPARTMENT MEMORANDUM TO: DATE: 11-24-81 FROM: FRANK ALESHIRE, CITY MANAGER FIRE ClllEf-~ SUBJECT: 1982 WEED ABATEMENT PROGRAM llaving assumed responsibility for the City's Weed Abatement Program, we plan to make some significant changes in the program operations. The changes (and comparisons with the existing program) are as follows: 1. Conduct initial inspection of all lots within the City in January and mail notices to owners of all lots which may later pose a hazard during the mm and dry months. Existing program begins in March and includes only those lots where a hazard actually exists at thr time of inspection. 2. Tho official noticing and nn accompanying informational letter (Attachment #1) will be the only correspondence mailed by the City. Existing program mails an informational letter, allows the owners time to clean their lots {or requests the City to do it hy returning a postcard) and then con- ducts n second inspection prior to official noticlng. 3. The owners may either clean their pwn lots ~rior to the bcgin1ting of the City's clenning cycle 01· the Ciq• contractor will clenn tho lot and the cost for cleaning will be placed on the property tax bill, along with the administrative chnrge. The existing prog1·nm allows n p1•ope1·ty owner to mail in n Cfird requesting the City to nrrnnge for the cleaning of the lot and hill the owner directly. The admini- strative charge for the service is less than that other- wise charged. ($12.0U vs. $75.00) 4. The cleaning will he done by a contractor selected through competitive bidding. The existing program utilizes local contractors based on nn hourly rate. Work is assigned by the Weed Abate- ment Inspector. Memorandum/City Manager 1982 Weed Abatement Program 5. The administrative fee will be calculated at the end of the Llcaning ~ycl~ and applied to each parcel required to be cleaned by the City. The fee may be established in o~e of two ways: a. Add up all costs, divide by number of parcels cleaned by the City, and apply this figure to ea~h lot cleaned by thr City with the maximum administrative charge being $125/parcel. This method would recover most of the costs and place tne burden for the entire progra~ on the owners of only those lots which required cleaning by the City. b. Break o•Jt 01,1y the cost incurred by those lots which requir , City cleaning and divide that figure by the number of lots tlbaned. Again, the maximum administrative charge wou!d be $125/parcel. This method would recover only a portion of the p:ogram costs but would be more equitable and could not be deemed a penalty. Council Policy No. 24 (Attachment #2) addresses the estab- lishment of administrative fees for the Weed Abatement Program. We have prepared two revised Council Policy Statements (Attachment 113, A & B), one for each of the proposals covered in Item #5 of this memorandum. -2 Another item which must ~c address~1 is the funding nrcessary for initjal prc~ram cost~ (postage, printing, ctr.) and for payment of t~e contractor to be used by the City to clean the lots. Based u~on last year's cost figu1os and anticipated changes to the program this year, we estimate that $16,000 will be needed. Currently, the contractor is being paid out of Account dOl-000-4820. We propose to establish a new, separate account, 01-124 (Weed Abatement) to be included within th• Fire Department's budget. For the upcoming year's prog",r.t, we 1~ould need $16,000 transferred into this operating · Jget to cover anticipated costs. All funds used to pay th con- tractor will be recovered through property tax liens. We hope to bring the proposed Council Policy Statement before the Council on the December 15th Agenda, anticipating imple- men,ation of the program in January, 1982. We recommend that all ~hangcs listed be adopted and we require direction regard- ing the alternative Council Policy Statements addressing ad- ministrative cost~. 1275 ELM AVENUE CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA 92008 In Reference: Assessor's Parcel No. Dear Property Owner: Citp of <lCarl~bab FIRE DEPARTMENT TELEPHONE: (714) 438-5521 A recent inspection has disclosed that the property described by the above Assessor's Parcel Number has vegetation (grass, weeds, brush, trees or 1 itter) upon it which may contribute to a hazardous condition. As owner, the condition of the property is your responsibility. If you are no longer the owner of this property, please notify this office immediately. We would appreciate your furnishing us with the new owner's name and address. In conformity with the prov1s1ons of the Weed & Rubbish Abatement Section of the Cali- fornia Government Code, you are hereby notified to remove such vegetation from the above mentioned property b'y May I, 1982. Poster notices will not be placed on the property. Please refer to the notice on the reverse side of this ,etter. Property cleared and maintained free of flammable vegetation that complies with the requirements listed on the enclosed Fire Prevention Information Sheet is not subject to further action by this department. Property owners are advised that growth after first removal will not be permitted; otherwise City Contracted crews may clear re- growth w ;hout ftrther notice and the additional cost will be added to the tax bill. After May 1, 198'l, property' th-it is not cleared and maintained by the ownar is subject to being clearec by City Contracted crews as manpower and equipment are available and the cost will be added to the owner's tax statement. The condition of property not cleared by City Contracted crews remains the resprnsibil ity of the owner and legal action may be initiated to enforce applicable regulations. "'."he cooperation of the responsible property owner in doing the exterior hazard reduction clean-up, or in hiring it to be done, will greatly aid your fire service in preven~ing fire and provide a better chance to save homes and improvements and keep damage to a minimum if a wildfire sweeps the area. Fire Prevention Officers will be making in- spections for compliance with items listed on the enclosed Fire Prevention Information ~- For further information, you may write or call at the above address, or phone 438-5521, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Very truly yours, Brian Watson, Fire Marshal enc. SEE N9TICE ~ REVERSE SIDE WEED NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that on the 6th day of April, 1982, the City Council of Carlsbad passed a Resolution declaring that noxious or dangerous weeds were growing upon or in front of the property on certain streets (or roads) in said City and more particularly described in said Resolution that the same constitutes a public nuisance which must be abated by the removal of said noxious or dangerous weeds, otherwise they will be removed and the nuisance will be abated by the County authorities, in which case the cost of such removal shall be assessed upon the lots and lands from which or in front of which such weeds are removed and such cost will constitute a 1 ien upon such lots or lands until paid. NOTE: PROPERTY OWNERS WITH SPECIAL CLEANING PROBLEMS MUST CONTACT THE CITY FIRE MARSHAL PRIOR TO MAY 1, 1982. Reference is here- by made to said resolution for further particulars. All property owners having any objection to the removal of such weeds are here- by notified to attend a meeting of the City Council of said City on April 20, 1982, at 6:00 p.m. when their objections will be heard and given due consideration. A public hearing is scheduled at 6:00 p.m. on July 20, 1982, by the City Council of said City to consider the Weed Abatement Cost Report. This Cost Report will be posted for one week prior to the hearing. Objections may be heard at this public hearing. For further information on the location of the meeting please call 438-5521. Dated this 6th day of Apr i 1, 1982 CARLSBAD FIRE DEPARTMENT Brian Watson Firt? Marshal CllY OF Cf\RLSBAD COUNCIL ~~ICY STATEMENT I Pol icv No. 24 Pg. 1 of 1 ·-Date Issued 10-28-80 .. General Subject: WEED ABAT[MENT Effective Oate 10-28-80 Specific Subject: Establish Administrative Fees Cancellation Date Suorrsedes No. 24 of 12-20-7 ~ Cop-ies To: City Council, City Manager, City Attorney, Department Heads, Press, File PURPOSE: To establish a uniform policy for the collection of administrative fees for the abatement of weeds on pi--i vate property. BACKGROUNq_: Counci 1 considered a report from the Di rector of Ut i1 i ti es & Maintenance at the conclusion of the 1980 Heed Abatement Program and directed staff to develop administrative costs for the abatement of 1'/eecls on a "per parcel" basis. A study analyzing the 1980 costs indicated that an additional charge of $12 in addition to the contract costs l'lould recoup the administrative costs for those citizen$ requesting that the city abt1te the 1veeds on their parcels. Additionally, an administrative fee of $75 over and above the contrict costs would recover administrative costs from those citizens who nquire legal noticing and public hearings to be held prior to abatement. STATEMENT OF POL ICY: The city will recover all administrative costs relating to the abate11,ent of weeds and nuisances on private property from all property 011ners 1·1hu arc billed for the service provided ~. the city. 011ners 11ho abate the 1·1eeds from their property after an initial notification, will not b.c. billed and admini struiive costs uil'l be waived. Billing for services will be as follows: 1. Property ovmers wi 11 be cht:rged for contrac lor cos ts billed to the city for clearing the parcel. 2. An administrative charge of $12.00 per parcel will also be billed to all prvperty owners who choose to designate the city as thei1· agent to arrange for, inspect and bi 11 t.:1em for the abat.c:,1ent of their parcel. 3. An administrative charge of $75.00 µer pdrcel will be billed to all property 01-mcrs 1,1ho do not. abate their parcels through their mm arrangements or by designating the city as their agent. and v,hosc parcels are abated by the city after clue notic'ing, posting and app;opriate public hearings. ------·-··-------·---------·--·--·--··---n..IIfkll~---------- I l I l I L { . CITY '• CARLSBAD COUNCIL POLICY STATEMENT General Subject: WEE~ ABATEMENT Specific Subject: Establish Administrative Fees olicy No. Pg. l of 1 ----......---------- Date Issued Effective Date Cancellation Date Supersedes No. Copies To: City Council, City Manager, City Attorney, Department Heads, Press, File PURPOSE: To establish a uniform method for the assessing of administrative fees for the abatement of weeds on private property by the City or it's authorized agent. BACKGROUND: Council approved Policy Statement No. 24, effective 10-28-80, regard- ing the method of assessing fees to recover administrative costs associated with the Weed Abatement Program. Essentially, two fees were establishPd, 1. A $12.00/parcel charge for those who choose to designate the City as their agent. 2. A $75.00/parcel charge for those who do not abate their parcels on their own or who do not designate the City as their agent. The Fire Department has recently acquired responsibility for the Weed Abatement Program and is making changes in the way the program is operated. · STATEMENT OF POLICY: The City will recover most of the administrative costs, direct and indirect, incurred by the operation of t~e Weed Abatement Program. These cost~ will be calculated at the end of each cleaning cycle and the tota1 cost will be divided equally among those parcels which requirrd cleaning by the City or it's authorized agent. However, the maximum administrative charge shall not exceed $12'j,00 per individual parcel. II TT l-1<.ri 3 II CITY Oe"fARLSBAD COUNCIL POLICY STATEMENT General Subject: WEED A'BATEMENT · 1-.,,olicy No. Date Issued Effective Date PCJ. l of 1 Specific Subject: Establish Administrative Fees Cancellation Date Supersedes No. Copies To: City Gouncil, City Manager, City Attorney, Department Heads, · Press, File PURPOSE: To establish a uniform method for the assessing of administrative fees for th~ abatement of weeds on private property by the City or it's authorized agent. BACKGROUND: Luuncil approved Policy Statement No. 24, effective 10-28-80, regarding the method of assessing fees to recover administrative costs associated with the Weed Abatement Pr.ogram. Essentially, two fees were estab- lished. l. A $12.00/parcel. charge for those who choose to designate the City as their agent. 2. A $75.00/parcel charge for those who do not abate their parcels on their own or who do not designate the City as their agent. The Fire Department has recently acquired responsibility for the Weed Abatement Program and is making changes in the way the program is oµerated. STATEMENT OF POLICY: The City will recover a portion of the Administrative costs, direct and indirect, incurred by the operators of the Weed Abatement Pro- gram. The total cost of the program will be calculated at the end of each cleaning cycle. The costs attributable to those lots requiring cleaning by the City or it's authorized agent will be collected from the owners of those parcels. Those costs attribu- table to those parcels which did not require cleaning by the City or it's authorized agent will not be ~ecovered. The maximum administrative charge shall not exceed $125.00 per individual parcel. 11-TTflCH, 3 B