By TONY RICCIUTO Niagara Falls Review Posted 17 hours ago
The city sent Ed Lenchyshyn a bill for $1,370 for cutting the grass on a vacant lot he owns at McLeod Rd. and Wilson Cres.
He's not too happy about it.
Last year, he hired a lawn company from Ridgeway to do it and the bill was only $145. Lenchyshyn says he can't understand how the city has the nerve to charge him $385 plus a $300 administration fee for a total of $685. Because he has two lots next to each other, it was doubled, bringing the total to $1,370.
Lenchyshyn is president of Park Lane Home Builders. He lives in Fort Erie and has built homes in a number of Niagara municipalities.
But Niagara Falls has a bylaw that deals with weeds and grass. If they grow more than eight inches, they will ask you to cut it. If you don't, they follow it up with a written order, giving a deadline for when it has to be cut.
If you ignore the deadline, a contractor will cut the grass and the city sends you a bill. It also adds an administration fee of $300.
The contractor's bill will often be higher than what you would pay to get the same work done. There are a number of reasons for that. Taller grass, bigger machine, bigger the bill.
The city gives their contractor 48 hours to cut the grass. He might have to stop other work to cut your grass, adding to the cost.
If you fail to pay, the cost is added to your property tax bill.
Lenchyshyn says he has owned the property for two years.
"I flipped when I got the bill for $1,370. I wanted to talk to the mayor and I wanted to go to a council meeting and show it to them, but they just ignored me," he said.
He said the city never called or sent him a notice. If they did, he would have arranged to get it cut.
"The only thing I got was the invoice and I couldn't figure out what the invoice was for," said Lenchyshyn. "In Fort Erie, they phone me and sometimes I can get the guys there within hours."
He intends to hire a lawyer to fight the bill.
"I'm a real estate broker and have been dealing with cities for 50 years."
The city tells quite a different story.
Franco Piscitelli, manager of bylaw services, said they had a number of complaints about the lot, and he has had a number of conversations with the owner.
The city charges an administration fee to cover the paperwork. Records have to be pulled, staff visits the property, the contractor notified, invoices sent out.
Piscitelli said Lenchyshyn was notified the grass needed to be cut, but he failed to take any action.
The city cut the grass once last year and twice this year.
Piscitelli said the city prefers owners look after their own properties.
The city also puts a notice in the newspaper every year reminding property owners they need to cut their grass.
The bylaw states grass cannot be more than eight inches, but the city doesn't get involved until it's much taller.
After talking with the city, I contacted Lenchyshyn again, but he maintains he was never notified. If the city cut the grass earlier this year and once last year, why did he not received an invoice for them?
There are two different stories and I'm sure it will get sorted out.
But the moral is this — keep your grass cut and you won't have a problem.
What needs fixing in your neighbourhood? We want to know. Phone Tony Ricciuto at 905-358-5711, ext. 1132 or email tricciuto@nfreview.com
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