(A) Lots or pieces of ground within the city shall be drained or filled so as to prevent stagnant water or any other nuisance accumulating thereon.
(B) The owner or occupant of any lot or piece of ground within the city shall keep the lot or piece of ground and the adjoining streets and alleys free of any growth of 12 inches or more in height of weeds, grasses, or worthless vegetation.
(C) The throwing, depositing, or accumulation of litter on any lot or piece of ground within the city is prohibited.
(D) It is hereby declared to be a nuisance to permit or maintain any growth of 12 inches or more in height of weeds, grasses, or worthless vegetation on any lot or piece of ground within the city or on the adjoining streets and alleys or to litter or cause litter to be deposited or remain thereon except in proper receptacles.
(E) Any owner or occupant of a lot or piece of ground shall, upon conviction of violating this section, be guilty of an offense.
(F) (1) Notice to abate and remove such nuisance shall be given to each owner or owner's duly authorized agent and to the occupant, if any. The city hereby declares that the method of notice shall be given by first-class mail, and such mail shall be conspicuously marked as to its importance. Within five days after receipt of such notice, the owner or occupant of the lot or piece of ground may request a hearing with the city to appeal the decision to abate or remove a nuisance by filing a written appeal with the office of the City Clerk. A hearing on the appeal shall be held within 14 days after filing of the appeal and shall be conducted by an elected or appointed officer as designated in the ordinance. The hearing officer shall render a decision on the appeal within five business days after the conclusion of the hearing. If the appeal fails, the city may have such work done. Within five days after receipt of such notice, if the owner or occupant of the lot or piece of ground does not request a hearing with the city or fails to comply with the order to abate and remove the nuisance, the city may have such work done.
(2) The costs and expenses of any such work shall be paid by the owner. If unpaid for two months after such work is done, the city may either:
(a) Levy and assess the costs and expenses of the work upon the lot or piece of ground so benefitted in the same manner as other special taxes for improvements are levied and assessed; or
(b) Recover in a civil action the costs and expenses of the work upon the lot or piece of ground and the adjoining streets and alleys.
(G) For the purpose of this section, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
LITTER. Includes but is not limited to:
(a) Trash, rubbish, refuse, garbage, paper, rags, and ashes;
(b) Wood, plaster, cement, brick, or stone building rubble;
(c) Grass, leaves, and worthless vegetation except when used as ground mulch or in a compost pile;
(d) Offal and dead animals; and
(e) Any machine or machines, vehicles or vehicles, or parts of a machine or vehicle which have lost their identity, character, utility, or serviceability as such through deterioration, dismantling, or the ravages of times, are inoperative or unable to perform their intended functions, or are cast off, discarded, or thrown away or left as waste, wreckage, or junk.
WEEDS. Includes, but are not limited to: bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis), puncture vine (Tribulus terrestris), leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula), Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense), perennial peppergrass (Lepidium draba), Russian knapweed (Centaurea picris), Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense), nodding or musk thistle, quack grass (Agropyron repens), perennial sow thistle (Sonchus arvensis), horse nettle (Solanum carolinense), bull thistle (Cirsium lanceolatum), buckthorn (Rhamnus sp.)(tourn), hemp plant (Cannabis sativa), and ragweed (Ambrosiaceae).
(1998 Code, § 6-305) (Ord. 880, passed 9-11-2007; Ord. 997, passed 3-11-2014) Penalty, see § 130.99
Statutory reference:
Weeds, litter, and stagnant water, see Neb. RS 17-563