CAMBRIDGE — City Manager Glenn Steckman said Cambridge is stepping up its code enforcement as trash cans are increasingly left on the sidewalk, grass is going uncut and cars are parked in the wrong direction.
“There seems to be a lack of lawnmowers in our community because the grass and grass height has been an ongoing issue in the town, and we’re having to send violation notices out,†Steckman said.
Code enforcement is a process used by local governments to enforce state and local laws, codes or ordinances regarding housing, building and health standards. The city’s stepped-up code enforcement efforts became a topic of discussion at the Cambridge City County’s meeting Monday after a resident raised concerns and confusion.
Cambridge resident Sharon Wilson was fined $200 due to a partially knocked down brick wall on her property. Wilson presented images of the fallen wall to the City Council, saying she feels zoning codes are being enforced unfairly.
Wilson said a city staff member stopped by her property asking her to clean up the bricks.
“They told me I had to clean it up, and he said, ‘You cleaned it, but you didn’t clean it up enough.’ OK, so what is enough for you?†Wilson said.
She continued to address the council asking if this is something they do for all city residents.
“I said that’s a lie. You’re not fair,†Wilson said. “Because if you’re being fair you’d be going to the city limits checking all the properties.â€
Wilson said she “was shocked†when she drove around the city to look at the properties and saw many that were “more of hazard†than hers.
“We want to make sure she understands that she is not being picked on,†Steckman said. “That this is not just her issue, this is a Cambridge issue.â€
He said that the city has received a growing number of code-related complaints, which is why the city is sending out more citations than in previous years.
Steckman said the city has sent out a notice to residents outlining the city’s code standards and plans to send another one soon.
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