No person shall plant, place, grow or allow
to grow any shrubs, bushes, plants, trees, flowers or other vegetation
so that the same shall obstruct or interfere with the use of sidewalks,
pathways or pedestrian passage along any public street or thoroughfare.
All overhanging branches shall be kept trimmed to a height of not
less than seven feet over such sidewalks, pathways and passageways.
[Added 4-20-2004 by Ord. No. 3-2004]
A. City of Oneonta property owners who have insufficient
space or choose not to compost fallen leaves on their property may
be allowed to have such leaves removed by the Public Service Department,
provided such leaves are raked and contained in biodegradable bags
weighing less than 25 pounds and which are placed at curbside only
during the pickup dates as announced each fall by the Public Service
Department.
B. Restrictions. In no case may residents, property owners
or their agents rake fallen leaves onto City of Oneonta-owned property,
streets, sidewalks or medians. In addition, biodegradable bags put
out for City pickup or delivered to the City facility on Silas Lane
must contain only leaves and similarly sized incidental organic materials.
Bags which are not biodegradable or which contain materials other
than leaves, such as but not limited to, rocks, dirt, sticks, lumber,
glass, plastics, metal, refuse, etc., or any materials deposited at
times other than City-announced pickup dates, may be refused pickup
by the Public Service Department.
C. Authority to cause removal; assessment of cost of
removal by City. Whenever any owner or occupant of such property shall
fail or neglect to remove such unaccepted materials as aforesaid,
the Public Service Department or Code Enforcement Office may have
the bags and/or materials removed therefrom after 72 hours' notice
by ordinary mail to the owner or registered agent of the property,
and the cost of such removal, together with an additional charge of
50% thereof for supervision and administration, shall be assessed
against such property, and the same shall be levied, corrected, enforced
and collected in the same manner, by the same proceedings, at the
same time, under the same penalties, and having the same lien upon
the property so assessed as the general City tax and as a part thereof.
D. Appeals. Any appeal from the actions taken by the
City under this provision must be submitted in writing within 10 days
of the date of the original bill by written request to the City Clerk.