Weed Abatement Season is Upon Us All - Code Services Shares About The Program

Today, we’re talking about weed abatement and the importance of keeping our community vibrant, safe and clean. Our guest today is Lexi Murphy, our code services specialist and a familiar face from a previous episode.

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:12

Welcome to the Dallas, Oregon Podcast, your quick and informative source for what's happening in and around our city. I'm Charlie Mitchell, the city's Economic and Community Development Director, and each week we bring in city staff, local leaders, and community members to discuss the projects, people, and possibilities shaping our community. Today we're talking about Wii Abatement and the importance of keeping our community vibrant, safe, and clean. Our guest today is Lexi Murphy, our Code Services Specialist, and a familiar face from a previous episode. Welcome, Lexi.

SPEAKER_01 0:46

Thank you for having me. Excited to be here.

SPEAKER_00 0:48

All right, great. Hey Lexi, let's just dive right in and tell us about the upcoming Wii Abatement season and what the program is all about.

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Every year from mid-April through September, we proactively enforce our obnoxious vegetation code throughout Dallas. It's one of our efforts at keeping Dallas a clean and vibrant community.

SPEAKER_00 1:08

And what exactly would trigger you to create a case on a specific property?

SPEAKER_01 1:14

We are looking for grass and weeds more than 10 inches tall, weeds that are going to seed, and blackberries that cross the property line. We also address vegetation that encroaches into the sidewalk.

SPEAKER_00 1:24

That's great. So if someone, if someone sees a property with overgrown vegetation, for example, how do they go about reporting that to you?

SPEAKER_01 1:34

You can file it through our reporter concern, locate online at ww.dallasor.gov, or you can give me a call at 503-831-3512.

SPEAKER_00 1:45

Great. There's a couple good options there. Um so can you tell us all about what the weed abatement process is? Because I'm guessing a lot of folks may not know that, and maybe what the process is for those maybe that aren't compliant.

SPEAKER_01 1:57

Of course. We always issue a warning first, then we come back for reinspection in 10 days. If the property is not in compliance, then we will post our abatement notice on the property, which is followed by a certified letter mailed to the property owner. We give an additional 10 days to check for compliance. If the property is partially completed, then a citation will be issued and completion will be required. When no progress has been made, I will assign one of our local contractors to complete the work. And once that bill is sent to us, we will then sport it on to the property owner.

SPEAKER_00 2:29

Okay, good. What about more complicated cases like such as a large field and uh limited mobility of the homeowner, or maybe the property owner is out of state?

SPEAKER_01 2:41

This is very common and we are very flexible at working with people. Our goal is always voluntary compliance. If you give me a call, text, or email, we can easily make adjustments that work for both parties.

SPEAKER_00 2:52

Very good. And I know we, you know, we always try our best to work with the property owners to get the property into compliance. And we're willing to give extensions. And um, but when exactly are those extensions given?

SPEAKER_01 3:06

Extensions are granted when the responsible party makes contact with us in a timely manner. If they're making an effort to voluntarily comply and they let us know they need more time, we are always happy to give more time.

SPEAKER_00 3:17

Okay, good. Um, so this kind of back to basics a little bit. What is it, what does it mean to abate a property?

SPEAKER_01 3:26

Abatement can be easily described as forced compliance. A property is abated, we hire a local contractor to remedy the violation. The invoice will be sent to us, and then finance will forward it to the property owner. If the bill does not get paid, it will then become a lien on the property.

SPEAKER_00 3:41

Okay, very good. Well, Lexi, I want to thank you so much for joining us today and sharing everything about weed abatement and the importance it plays in keeping our community safe, clean, and vibrant. Now, before we go, to close out our podcast, we ask all our guests this one last question. And what is your favorite thing about Dallas, Lexi?

SPEAKER_01 3:59

Everywhere I go, I always run into familiar, friendly faces. Dallas is a place where you can go, where you're always given a welcome. Good morning.

SPEAKER_00 4:06

That's wonderful. Boy, that's a good elevator speech right there. I want to thank again to Lexi for joining us, and thank you to everyone for tuning in today. Be sure to follow us on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. And thanks again for listening to the Dallas, Oregon Podcast. I'm Charlie Mitchell, and we'll see you next time.