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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/22/2017 03 Overgrown Vegetation IssuesE BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL YAKIMA, WASHINGTON AGENDASTATEMENT Item No. 3. For Meeting of: August 22, 2017 ITEM TITLE: Overgrown vegetation issues SUBMITTED BY: Joan Davenport, Community Development Director Joe Caurso, Code Administration Manager (509) 575-6257 SUMMARY EXPLANATION: See attached. ITEM BUDGETED: STRATEGIC PRIORITY: NA Public Safety APPROVED FORcl*� ,,. SUBMITTAL: ""City Manager STAFF RECOMMENDATION: BOARD/COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION: ATTACHMENTS: Description Upload Date Type 8/1612017 Cover Memo D map _ edylot complaints 8(7/2017 Backup Material Memorandum August 22, 2017 TO: Honorable Mayor and Council FROM: Joe Caruso, Code Administration Manager/Fire Marshal SUBJECT: Fire Hazardous Vegetation The devastating fires in Yakima County and throughout the State of Washington have caused significant damages to land and property. With an extremely wet winter and spring, and weeks of high summer temperatures, complaints of excessive overgrown vegetation have risen dramatically. Code Compliance Officers within the Code Administration Division are responsible for enforcement of overgrown vegetation complaints. Enforcement options do already include the writing of a civil infraction due to Limited Commissions for code compliance officers and the manager under Title 6, Title 11 and Title 15 of the Yakima Municipal Code if all other means do not work. Currently, the following Yakima Municipal Codes are in place: Overgrown Excessive Vegetation. • 2015 International Fire Code Section 304 Combustible Waste Material Chapter 304.1.2 Vegetation Vegetation... Weeds, grass, vines or other growth that is capable of being ignited and endangering property, shall be cut down and removed by the owner or occupant of the premises. Vegetation clearance requirements in urban-wildland interface areas shall be in accordance with the International Wildland- Urban Interface Code. YMC Chapter IL 10 Neighborhood Conservation Section 11.10.060 "Nuisance" "Nuisance" includes (a) a nuisance defined by statute or ordinance; (b) a nuisance at common law, either public or private; (c) an attractive nuisance, whether in or on a building, a building premises or an unoccupied lot. Abandoned or inoperative vehicles or other equipment, lumber, fencing; vegetation or other debris YMC Chapter IL 10 Neighborhood Conservation Section 11.10.020 "Emergencies" The provision of this chapter shall not prevent the Director or any other officer of the City Of Yakima or other governmental unit from taking any other action, summary or otherwise, necessary to eliminate or minimize an imminent danger to the health or safety of any person or property. G Currently, staff has the authority to declare a parcel an "Imminent Danger" under the Emergencies Section in 11.10.020. If such a declaration is made and the property owner is notified, and there is no return communication with the property owner after 24 hours, an authorized contractor may be hired to abate the violation. In these cases, the costs are billed to the property owner. The parcel owner has thirty days to address the bill and, after thirty days, a Community Review Board hearing is scheduled as part of our process to capture any costs incurred by the City of Yakima to abate the violation under Chapter 11.10.410. After reviewing current code, staff has recognized that it would be advisable to add to the definition in Chapter 11. 10.060 a height requirement of "12" inches under "Nuisance" to clearly identify the violation. In addition, or in the alternative, a provision in Chapter 6.56 to include vegetation as a violation along with a "12" inch requirement would provide another options to code enforcement officers to address these issues. These additions would help ensure that the enforcement of these code was done in a more consistent fashion as compliance officers would have a fixed standard to review complaints. This would improve our ability to abate dangerous situations that potentially put property and lives in danger. One other option would be to specify that only vegetation meeting the criteria of over "12" inches and dried out (white or yellow in color) and determined to be a fire load which could travel at a rapid speed if ignited, would rise to the level an "Imminent Danger." Code enforcement officers do not address aesthetic complaints from neighbors about grasses or weeds. 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