uReport

City of Bloomington, Indiana

open #203670

Excessive Growth:

Other: We are trying to figure out with our neighbor how to manage invasive, prohibited species on the property line. We are submitting our letter from us to them and would like advisement from the appropriate city employee to make sure we handle the issue correctly. James and Constance, Upon my review, it is not clear who cut back the shrubs / vegetation. Ellee and I reviewed the type of plants affected and there were no trees, only shrubs / bushes, as designated by the Bloomington UDO. The area in question is in both a Utilities easement and a Water run off / drainage type easement. I am not sure if someone was contracted to maintain these areas. That said, we did notice a significant number of invasive plant species originating from your property and invading / growing onto our property. As per the Bloomington UDO, these specific plants should be removed from one’s property. Our cursory evaluation identified at least and not limited to: common privet, porcelain berry, Japanese honey suckle, winter creeper and English ivy and poison ivy. What we would like by July 1, 2025 is your plan to maintain or eliminate the plants on the city’s invasive species list that originate from your property and grow onto our property. We will then take your proposal to the City for approval, as it is well established that maintaining invasive species includes not letting the plant flower so as to limit spread. If you have any questions identifying the specific plants, Ellee has graciously agreed to donate her time and effort to help you identify. If you cannot come up with a definitive plan for invasive species maintenance or elimination, The Spiers will be happy to maintain the invasive species growing from your portion of the easement onto our property in a quarterly fashion. All we ask is that you hire an official surveyor to stake a clear delineation of property lines / easement, so we know which of your invasive species plants are our responsibility to maintain. As good stewards of the community and being good neighbors, we appreciate your prompt attention to this matter. Each season that goes by, your invasive species seed the creek and spread the invasive plants throughout Bloomington. If you cannot provide a reasonable plan, we will ask the City for assistance in devising a plan. Again, thank you for bringing this to my intention. I learned a lot about invasive species today. Bret

Assigned to
Angela Van Rooy

Most tickets of this type should be closed within 9 days, although some cases may be longer. 0 days have already passed.

History

6/24/2025 07:29:19 Barry Collins assigned this case to Angela Van Rooy

Sent notification to Angela Van Rooy, Anonymous
https://bloomington.in.gov/crm/tickets/view?ticket_id=203670 Barry Collins assigned this case to Angela Van Rooy You can use the link to follow progress on this case.

6/23/2025 21:07:12 Anonymous assigned this case to Christina Finley

Sent notification to Christina Finley, Anonymous
https://bloomington.in.gov/crm/tickets/view?ticket_id=203670 Anonymous assigned this case to Christina Finley You can use the link to follow progress on this case.

6/23/2025 21:07:12 Opened by Anonymous

Sent notification to Christina Finley, Anonymous
https://bloomington.in.gov/crm/tickets/view?ticket_id=203670 Opened by Anonymous Dear Constituent: Thank you for submitting information to us via uReport. We value your input and hope that we will be able to address your questions and concerns. HAND neighborhood compliance officers will inspect the property and determine if the weeds, grass or plants are in violation of the Bloomington Municipal Code 6.06.070 (a). In the event of a violation, the neighborhood compliance officer will issue a Notice of Violation (NOV) to the property owners via first class mail and by placing a copy of the notice of violation on the property. The original Notice of Violation may be a warning or may include fines with a graduated scale from $50.00 - $150.00, and will be issued in accordance with Bloomington Municipal Code 6.06.070 (a). If the property is a rental property and it is the tenants' responsibility to maintain the lawn, the landlord must provide a copy of the signed lease to HAND during the initial seven days following the issuance of the NOV, otherwise the Landlord will remain responsible for paying the fine. After the Notice of Violation is issued, the property owner and/or tenant has seven (7) days to bring the property into compliance. If the property is not brought into compliance within the initial seven (7) days, the inspector may go to daily tickets. Please be mindful of this process while we work with your neighbors to resolve this issue. Thank you, HAND staff