New Search
MEMORANDUM <br />AT @0403A <br />DATE: APRIL 9, 1985 <br />TO: DAVE LILLEY <br />FROM: MONA MELLOTT <br />SUBJ: ASSESSMENT OF CITY OF EUGENE GRASS AND WEED MOWING PROGRAM <br />The City of Eugene grass and weed cutting program is a service to the <br />community at large, designed to enforce the provisions of the Eugene <br />Code Section 6.515 to 6.527. The aforesaid code defines the constituents <br />of obnoxious vegetation. Furthermore, the Code authorizes and directs <br />the City of Eugene to envoke procedures that lead to the abatement of <br />such vegetation. <br />The purpose of the grass and weed cutting program is to improve the <br />health, safety, and general welfare of the people and property in the <br />City by reducing the public nuisance of obnoxious vegetation. Specific <br />reasons for cutting include: removing obstacles that impair traffic <br />visibility; a fire prevention precaution by preventing the accumulation <br />of combustible materials; preventing further weed and grass propagation <br />by eliminating the seeds at their source; alleviating allergic reactions <br />by reducing weed, grass, and other pollens; a means for controlling <br />vegetation that encroaches on adjacent properties; eradication of <br />rodent habitats; exposure of hiding places used by transients; and for <br />the overall aesthetic appeal of the community in general. <br />ASSEMBLING STATISTICS FOR ANALYSIS <br />In researching data to obtain financial statistics regarding the weed <br />mowing program, information was gathered from the accounts receivable <br />records, public works records, and HCC (now EDD) records. The EDD <br />(then HCC) discontinued its participation in the weed mowing program <br />at the end of fiscal year 82 -83. In the interim period their records <br />concerning the weed mowing program have been displaced. Because of <br />this, establishing the overall costs of operating and administering <br />the weed mowing program during all but the last two fiscal years is <br />impossible. However, analysis of accounts receivable records of the <br />last five years of the program establish a surprisingly consistent <br />ratio of collectable accounts versus bad debt accounts. This suggests <br />that a fairly reliable assumption can be made as to the overall <br />collectability of weed mowing accounts. <br />