City approves higher cost for mowing overgrown lawns

Madison City Commissioners on Monday approved the second reading of an amendment to a city ordinance on lawn maintenance.  The ordinance change will increase the amount the city charges residents if they need to mow overgrown lawns.  

Madison Police issue tickets to property owners with overgrown lawns, giving them 48 hours to take care of it.  If it isn’t done in that time, then the city mows the property and bills the property owner 200-dollars an hour.  Under the amended ordinance approved by commissioners Monday, that fee will increase to 400-dollars an hour. City officials have said that what the city was charging previously for the service is less expensive than having a private mowing service do the work and that it is hard on the city’s equipment to do the mowing.