Downey : Railroad, Residents Get Bill for Property Cleanup
The City Council has decided to charge 22 property owners and the Southern Pacific railroad a total of $43,074 for removing weeds and trash from their property.
The property owners were told early in June to clean up their land or the city would do it for them.
A Norwalk-based contractor, Apple Tractor Inc., was hired by the city to remove weeds and trash at a cost ranging from $200 to $2,800 for residences. The Southern Pacific Transportation Co. was charged $27,000 for cleanup of railroad rights of way. The charges include a 50% administrative fee for the city.
Last year Downey city workers cleaned up 47 lots for $23,000, but budget cuts and a hiring freeze in the public works department forced the city to hire a contractor for the job.
Negligent property owners who receive notices to clean up their lots are given 10 days either to do the work or to request a time limit extension, city officials said.
One hundred notices were sent out in June; 76 property owners complied, and the owners of 24 residential and railroad parcels were charged for the cleanup.
Last week another 100 notices were mailed to landowners who have failed to keep their property clean.
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