Massapequa Fine, Mowing Required or Residents Could Face Jail (VIDEO)
Residents in one New York suburb could pay up to $10,000 in fines for failing to keep a tidy lawn, according to a newly passed law.
Some Massapequa residents are more than fed up with unkempt yards. As a result, on Monday the village board of Massapequa Park passed a new law the will enforce a $1,000 fine on residents who fail to keep their lawns mowed. Repeat offenders could face up to $10,000 in fines.
"This is a quality of life issue, yes. The place is filthy. I'm paying taxes. I have to look at their lawn and garbage. If I complain they laugh in my face, and I've been living here 23 years," neighbor Sophie Wolchok told the local CBS News.
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The mayor also stepped into to suggest that unkept homes proposed a threat to property values.
"We are instituting a stiff fine that has escalating clauses to be punitive because we want banks and landowners to pay attention to their properties and maintain their properties like the rest of our community," Mayor James Altadonna, Jr. said.
Some raised the concern of how elderly people would be affected by the new law, but other residents maintained that a little neighborly love could go a long way.
"If it's an elderly couple that's having problems maintaining their property, I think we should help them out. I don't think we should fine them $1,000," Mike Xirinachs told the local radio station.
After the first offence, a fine which ranges from $250-1,000 would be implemented, and the next level offence could go up to $2,500 plus up to 10 days in jail. Third time offenders could face up to a $10,000 fine and 15 days in jail.
Some believed the fines to be excessive, going as far as to say that they were a violation of constitutional rights.
