City's weed slackers are put on notice

Lewiston property owners who haven't been taking care of their weed problems will have to step up their war on noxious greenery next year.

The Lewiston City Council got its first full-fledged report from the three city departments that have a role in weed abatement at Monday's work session. And the overall message was that residents, not the city, have the biggest part to play in controlling unwanted, unsightly vegetation.

"In reality, there is very little that the city is responsible for, per code," Public Works Director Chris Davies told the council.

The city, sometimes working with Nez Perce County, used to have a comprehensive weed abatement program. But it became too expensive to continue, Davies said, so the council enacted the current ordinance putting the onus on property owners in 1993.

The vast majority of weed problems happen either on private property or in the public right-of-way between property lines and platted streets.

Lewiston Police Department code enforcement officer Janie Schaefer said that fact is a big surprise to many property owners when she shows up on their doorsteps. Such calls made up the majority of her work over the five months between May and September, with 245 recorded complaints.

Schaefer said the current version of the ordinance describes "rank" weeds as being in violation, but provides no definition. The city's legal department is in the process of updating the ordinance and will clarify that definition.

Davies said one of the most important things the city should do next year is inform property owners of their duty when it comes to weeds. Public outreach could come in the form of an insert in city utility bills.

City Councilor Cari Miller has spearheaded the renewed focus on weeds after she noticed how bad certain parts of town looked this summer. After learning the city actually is responsible for relatively few areas, she suggested that Public Works and Parks and Recreation work together to completely rid them of weeds.

"First, let's make sure our house looks good before we really go crack down on people," Miller said.

Public education and continued work on enforcement should be the next priorities, she said. Schaefer said about 90 percent of people comply with the ordinance after one warning.

The council directed the various departments to continue working together to weigh the issue, and to come up with some cost estimates and equipment and personnel needs for a weed abatement program that will start in spring.

Councilors already have budgeted $50,000 toward the effort. Parks department grounds maintenance supervisor Corky Fazio said the amount is a good start, but more will be needed to make the program truly work.

In other business, the council gave its consent for Fire Chief Travis Myklebust and Administrative Services Director Dan Marsh to work toward paying for a new Lewiston Orchards fire station with cash partly raised through foregone taxes, rather than pursuing a revenue or general obligation bond.

The estimated construction cost for a station at the corner of Bryden Avenue and Fifth Street is $3 million. But with interest rates likely to rise in the year or so it would take to put a bond issue together, the city could be looking at adding $1.5 million to that cost with finance charges and interest, Marsh said.

The city could cobble together $3 million over the next few years by using $500,000 from its building reserve, $1 million in revenue over two years from the closed urban renewal area along Nez Perce Drive, and two years of levying foregone taxes to raise the remaining $1.5 million, Marsh said.

Idaho allows cities to raise taxes above the 3 percent statutory cap by using "foregone" taxes, or tax hikes that previous councils have declined to make. Marsh suggested the council leave the foregone taxes in place after two years to create a revenue stream for other projects like Community Park or the Normal Hill Cemetery.

But Mayor Jim Kleeburg said the use of forgone taxes will be easier to sell to the public if there is a pledge to retire them after two years.

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Mills may be contacted at jmills@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2266.