It shall be unlawful for any owner, agent, lessee, tenant, or other person occupying or having charge or control of any premises to permit weeds to remain upon said premises or any area between the property lines of said premises and the centerline of any adjacent street or alley, including but not specifically limited to sidewalks, streets, alley, easements, right-of-way and all other areas, public or private. It shall also be unlawful for any owner, agent, lessee, tenant, or other person occupying or having charge or control of any premises to permit grasses to grow above 12 inches in height, or to grow in such a manner as to have a blighting influence, upon said premises or any area between the property lines of said premises and the centerline of any adjacent street or alley including but not specifically limited to sidewalks, streets, alley, easements, right-of-way and all other areas, public or private. All weeds and grasses as hereinafter defined are hereby declared a nuisance and are subject to abatement as hereinafter provided.

(Ord. 178, Sec. 1; Code 1998; Ord. 332)

Weeds as used herein, means any of the following:

(a)   Brush and woody vines shall be classified as weeds;

(b)   Weeds and indigenous grasses which may attain such large growth as to become, when dry, a fire menace to adjacent improved property;

(c)   Weed which bear or may bear seeds of a downy or wingy nature;

(d)   Weeds which are located in an area which harbors rats, insects, animals, reptiles, or any other creature which either may or does constitute a menace to health, public safety or welfare;

(e)   Weeds and indigenous grasses on or about residential prope1ty which, because of its height, has a blighting influence on the neighborhood. Any such weeds and indigenous grasses shall be presumed to be blighting if they exceed 12 inches in height.

Grass, or grasses shall be defined as non-indigenous or domesticated grasses normally grown upon residential or commercial properties within the state of Kansas, of whatever strain or variety.

(Ord. 178, Sec. 2; Code 1998; Ord. 332)

The Public Officer shall be charged with the administration and enforcement of this article. The Public Officer or an authorized assistant shall notify in writing the owner, occupant or agent in charge of any premises in the city upon which weeds, or grasses exist in violation of this article, by mail or by personal service, once per calendar year. Such notice shall include the following:

(a)   That the owner, occupant, or agent in charge of the property is in violation of the city weed and grass control law.

(b)   That the owner, occupant, or agent in charge of the property is ordered to cut the weeds or grass within 10 days of the receipt of notice.

(c)   That the owner, occupant, or agent in charge of the property may request a hearing before the governing body or its designated representative within five days of the receipt of notice.

(d)   That if the owner, occupant, or agent in charge of the property does not cut the weeds or grass, the city or its authorized agent will cut the weeds and/or grass and assess the cost of the cutting, including a reasonable administrative fee, against the owner, occupant or agent in charge of the property.

(e)   That the owner, occupant, or agent in charge of the property will be given an opportunity to pay the assessment, and, it is not paid, it will be added to the property tax as a special assessment.

(f)   That no further notice shall be given prior to removal of weeds or grass during the current calendar year.

(g)   That the Public Officer should be contacted if there are any questions regarding the order.

If there is a change in the record owner of title to property subsequent to the giving of notice pursuant to this subsection, the city may not recover any costs or levy an assessment for the costs incurred by the cutting or destruction of weeds or grass on such property unless the new record owner of title to such property is provided notice as required by this section. The City shall maintain a true and correct copy of notices sent pursuant to this section.

(Ord. 278; Code 2016; Ord. 332)

(a)   Upon the expiration of 10 days after receipt of the notice required by section 8-403, and in the event that the owner, occupant, or agent in charge of the premises shall neglect or fail to comply with the requirements of section 8-401, the Public Officer or an authorized assistant shall cause to be cut, destroyed and/or removed all such weeds and abate the nuisance created thereby at any time during the current calendar year.

(b)   The Public Officer or an authorized assistant shall give notice to the owner, occupant, or agent in charge of the premises by restricted mail of the costs of abatement of the nuisance. The notice shall state that payment of the costs is due and payable within 30 days following receipt of the notice.

(c)   If the costs of removal or abatement remain unpaid after 30 days following receipt of notice, a record of the costs of cutting and destruction and/or removal shall be certified to the city clerk who shall cause such costs to be assessed against the particular lot or piece of land on which such weeds and/or grass were so removed, and against such lots or pieces of land in front of or abutting on such street or alley on which such weeds or grass were so removed. The city clerk shall certify the assessment to the county clerk at the time other special assessments are certified for spreading on the tax rolls of the county.

(Ord. 278; Code 2016; Ord. 332)

The Public Officer and the City's authorized assistants, employees, contracting agents or other representatives are hereby expressly authorized to enter upon private property at all reasonable hours for the purpose of cutting, destroying and/or removing such weeds and/or grass in a manner not inconsistent with this article.

(Ord. 278; Code 2016; Ord. 332)

It shall be unlawful for any person to interfere with or to attempt to prevent the Public Officer or the City's authorized representative from entering upon any such lot or piece of ground or from proceeding with such cutting and destruction. Such interference shall constitute a code violation.

(Ord. 278; Code 2016; Ord. 332)

(a)   Nothing in this article shall affect or impair the rights of the city under the provisions of Chapter 2, Article 13 of the Kansas Statutes Annotated, relating to the control and eradication of certain noxious weeds.

(b)   For the purpose of this section, the term noxious weed shall mean kudzu (Pueraria lobata), field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), Russian knapweed (Centaurea picris), hoary cress (Lepidium draba), Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), quackgrass (Agropyron repens), leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula), burragweed (Franseria tomentosa and discolor), pignut (Hoffmannseggia densiflora), musk (nodding) thistle (Carduus nutans L.) and Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense).

(K.S.A. 2-1314; Ord. 178. Sec 7; Code 1998)

In addition to the costs and fees assessed in Article 4 above, the city hereby imposes administrative penalties as follows:

(a)   Failure to maintain weed or grass violations:

(1)   There shall be an administrative monetary penalty of One hundred and 00/100 dollars ($100.00) imposed on the owner for each violation under Article 4 Weed of Chapter VIII that remains uncorrected after the time period stated in the Notice of violation has elapsed.

(2)   The administrative monetary penalty for a second or subsequent violation under Article 4 Weeds of this chapter for the same property within twelve (12) months of the same or substantially same violation for a which the administrative penalty has been imposed shall be Two hundred and 00/100 dollars ($200.00).

(Ord. 259; Code 2016)