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PROPOSAL 2: A policy of advance notification to property owners of <br />the intent of the City of Eugene to abate vegetation on their pro- <br />perty should be established. Among the contents of this notice would <br />be included: <br />1. the name and mailing address of the person(s) established by <br />the Public Works Department as being the legal owners of the <br />property in question; <br />2. the location of the property that is in variance with the <br />City of Eugene obnoxious vegetation ordinance; <br />3. the approximate date that the abatement will transpire if <br />no private abatement procedures are instituted; <br />4. the rate at which the City of Eugene charges to abate <br />obnoxious vegetation; <br />5. a request to the recipient to notify the Public Works <br />Department if they do not believe themselves to be legal <br />owners of the property in question and to communicate <br />any knowledge of the current owner's identity and where- <br />abouts; and <br />6. an indication to the Postal Service to return undeliverable <br />mail with a forwarding address or notice of no known <br />forwarding address. <br />Currently, the method of serving notice merely entails publishing <br />three consecutive notices in the newspaper to the community at large <br />of the City of Eugene's intent to begin its seasonal weed cutting <br />program. This is a requirement of the obnoxious vegetation section <br />of the Eugene City Code and thus would be continued in the future. <br />The addition of individualized notification would have some positive <br />ramifications: <br />1. giving impetus to individuals to privately abate vegetation <br />by notifying them that their property has specifically been <br />singled out and reminding them that a monetary charge will <br />be levied; <br />2. reducing the number of irate individuals who claim that the <br />newspaper notices were insufficient in informing them of <br />the procedures of the weed mowing program, and that private <br />weed abatement would have been carried out if they had been <br />given proper notice; and <br />3. acting as a preliminary screening for problem accounts. Any <br />information returned from notice recipients or the postal <br />service concerning incorrect owner identities and /or addresses <br />will aid in the Public Works Department's further effort to <br />contact the legal owners. <br />This method of prior notification is currently practiced by the Public <br />Works Department in administering the sidewalk repair program. As the <br />City Code requires, an individual is notified that within a 20 -day <br />period, sidewalk repair must be accomplished after which the Mainten- <br />ance Department will construct the repairs and levy a fee. The <br />Maintenance Department superintendent, Bob Hammitt, cites that 85%, <br />to 90,0 of these individuals proceed to accomplish the repairs with- <br />out the intervention of the Public Works Department. He also notes <br />that the notices do serveto alert his department of ownership changes. <br />- -7- <br />