Residents who refuse to mow parkways along their property will soon find that the city has done the work for them and expects to paid for it.
A new ordinance gives the city authority to mow parkways overgrown with weeds and then bill the adjacent property owner.
The law, modeled after an ordinance in St. Charles, is based on the principle that although the grassy areas between the sidewalk and street are publicly owned, residents have an obligation to maintain them.
Geneva Community Development Director Michael Donahue said unkempt parkways are not a rampant problem, but about 5 percent of the homeowners refuse to mow them.
According to the ordinance, city lawn mowers will be called out when the weeds, grass or plants-other than trees, bushes or flowers-exceed 12 inches in height.
The city hired a code compliance officer this year to handle such nuisance complaints and ticket those who do not comply.