Mow or pay, council warns

Fines for allowing tall grass and excessive debris on private property in Terrebonne could rise substantially following action taken by the parish council’s Policy, Procedure, and Legal Committee last week.

Current nuisance fines are $100 for the first violation, $250 for the second, and $500 for the third, all within the same calendar year.

But many residents in Terrebonne keep their property unsightly and pay the fines, said Councilman Kevin Voisin.

The committee passed a motion asking parish government administrators to make recommendations on raising the penalties, though the parish council sets the fines. Voisin suggested a penalty of $250 for the first violation, $500 for the second and pressing criminal charges for the third.

Parish Attorney Courtney Alcock said the maximum fine permitted is $500.

According to Parish Manager Pat Gordon, the Nuisance Abatement Division received 1,160 tall grass and debris complaints in 2008. Of the violators, 220 were issued citations. Only one was cited for a third offense, but Gordon said as many as 10 third-offense citations were handed out in past years.

Violators are first given a nuisance warning. If they do not comply within five days, a citation is issued. If the violator does not comply within 10 days, a contractor cuts the grass or removes the debris.

But Gordon said some residents refuse to permit the contractors to do the work. Those cases are handled by the City Court of Houma. In 2008, 35 nuisance cases were sent to city court.

According to Councilwoman Arlanda Williams, increasing fines will cause residents to take nuisance complaints more seriously.

“People take advantage of only paying $100,” she said. “Two hundred and fifty dollars means we’re not accepting this anymore.”

Williams wants to reduce to five days the ten-day span between the first citation and calling in the contractor.

Voisin said a provision exists in state law that gives residents a perverse incentive not to cut grass on property carrying a lien. Residents are unable to recoup grass-cutting costs when the property is sold.

Voisin and Councilman Alvin Tillman also said the parish code allows a fence to be built around property to hide debris.

Tillman was the only council member to speak out against raising the penalties. He said many of the unsightly properties belong to people who are out of town, have not opened succession, or who simply do not care about paying fines.

Tillman wants to eliminate the provision in the parish code allowing the fences to hide debris.

“I would love to see something done, but we need to put strength in the parish code,” he said.

The motion asks the state legislative delegation to eliminate the incentive in state law against cutting grass.

The committee also heard suggestions on improving Terrebonne’s government access channel, TPTV.

Ed Snyder, who sits on the parish’s Advisory Committee for Disabled Persons and who has three deaf children, requested equipping TPTV with closed captioning. The council committee passed a motion asking Utilities Director Tom Bourg to look into the cost of fitting out TPTV with closed captioning.

The committee also asked Bourg to establish firmer broadcast times on TPTV for Terrebonne Parish Council and other public meetings. In a letter to Utilities Department administrative assistant Ralph Savoie, Voisin suggested airing the most recent parish council meetings every Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. as a handy way to remember when they are shown.

TPTV has a schedule of showings, but Bourg said, “We just try to juggle them all to get aired.”

Establishing broadcast times is easy, he said. Difficulties arise when meetings run long and cut into other scheduled broadcast times.

“Do we cut off that meeting to show the other?” Bourg said.

Voisin announced that Terrebonne Parish Council meetings will be shown on the parish government Web site starting May 1.

Also at the committee meetings last week, Good Earth Transit received approval from the Public Services Committee to start selling advertising on buses, transit shelters and bus stop benches.

The parish ended its contract with Lamar Advertising Co. to sell advertising on the transit agency’s assets.

Cavalier asked Yolanda Scott Reed, assistant administrator with Good Earth Transit, how the agency will determine whether advertising is offensive.

Reed said an advertising committee that includes the parish’s community problem solver and the Public Works director reviews for offensive material.

Good Earth Transit bars advertising for alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, and adult entertainment. Obscene material and political advertising are also prohibited.

Property owners in Terrebonne who allow overgrown grass could be slapped with bigger penalties. The Terrebonne Parish Council is considering raising first-offense fines from $100 to $250 for owners who ignore warnings. * Photo courtesy of TERREBONNE PARISH CONSOLIDATED GOVERNMENT