I would like to comment regarding the possible new yard debris ordinance mentioned in the article from June 13 titled “Muni Complex Upgrades Trigger Council Debate.”
It has been suggested that West Windsor needs a new yard removal ordinance that allows fines for improper yard debris piles. The new ordinance may come to a council vote in the next meeting. While I as a 13-plus year resident, jogger, and bicyclist see yard waste as a problem, I wonder if “neighbor” fining “neighbor” is the best way forward to build a good community and solve a problem that may have been specifically bad in 2014.
I would like to imagine that any West Windsor homeowner, if they had too large or improperly positioned debris piles and were not aware of it, certainly would have acted were they informed that their debris was a danger to others. I wonder how often we have rung each other’s doorbells to inform a neighbor that a pile was a problem. It would seem a good start.
If we start imposing fines on each other, what effect will that have on people keeping up their yards? How do you know your pile stays within 4’x4’x15’ with the wind, cars, garbage trucks, etc., moving your pile? What is the proper way of measuring a pile? And how fairly and consistently would we impose such fines when it seems that our current ordinance is not enforced? Possibly imposing a $500 fine for a shovel full of leaves being a few inches more than four feet wide does not help.
When I jog through the neighborhoods during the seasons it is clear that some are better than others at removing snow, cutting the grass, clearing branches blocking the sidewalks, etc. If we imposed fines for all of these, this could be quite a new tax on many residents. I would propose, as I believe some on the council already have, that information is key. We can also encourage neighbors to talk to neighbors if and when we see issues. We all have a responsibility to help each other and keep our community the best it can be. Talking to your neighbor will solve many more problems than we can write ordinances or fines for.
Olav Lyngberg
Jason Court, West Windsor
