City Warns of Nuisance Bills, Urges Property Owners to Take Advantage of Clean Up Days

The City of Eagle Grove will hold its annual Spring Clean Up Days Wednesday, May first through Saturday, May fourth. This newspaper has published several notices of this, and as this issue hits newsstands this week, the clock is ticking to get rid of your unwanted junk and clean up your properties.

And last week the City also posted a none-too-subtle warning to property owners with messes to clean up, which amounted to 'do it, or else', which comes just in time for property owners to take advantage of the Clean Up Days. The post, which featured portions of "a real invoice that will be attached as a lien to a residential property for clean up services through the City's Nuisance Administrative Abatement Program," shows just how expensive a little clean-up can be when you don't do it yourself, and while it's cheaper, as the invoice shown totals $4,420.00! Failure to pay such an invoice, the City's post also warns, would "result in a lien against the property."

The post also gives examples of just some of the types of nuisances that the City is warning property owners to deal with, including "junk, junk vehicles, debris, vegetation/grass, and other nuisance items."

While comments on the post itself were blocked on the City's Facebook page, many locals shared the post to share their opinions, which were mixed. Many commented to voice complaints about the policy, while still others stated that it is about time the city took such an action. One salient comment wondered how many homes the city will end up owning due to 'nuisance' processes, while several others noted what they considered the intolerably high number of properties in the community with cluttered yards.

One thing is for certain: property owners have been warned, and in time to take advantage of the Clean Up Days. Anyone needing assistance to take care of nuisances on their property are encouraged to take advantage of the Clean Up Days, and if they need extra time or assistance, to contact the city to request it.