Issue acknowledged.

5-22-15 one month later and still not taken care of. eyesore.

6-14-15. Still not taken care of. Let's get whoever is responsible to fix this issue on top of it. thanks

Bill Ward, ; what's the scoop on this. Seems like an easy issue to take care of. . thanks, 6-24-15. Snow will be flying soon.

Hey Crusader99, perhaps a page from your own advice book?
"So a minor thing like this can also be a citizen involvement..... get off your hind ends and cut them out of there, take a broom and sweep out the curbing and street in front of your place. where is the pride in our city by the people. While out there perhaps your neighbors will see you and do theirs and if not you can do theirs too as it is city (our) property. but if each of us would maintain our own oh how nice it could be. And while out there perhaps pick up any litter left over from recycle bins that blow out or recycle truck was careless when dumping. or perhaps trash thrown out from motorists or bikers or even walkers. Thanks for being caring citizens from now on."

Crusader 99: Graffiti on private property is not something the city can force someone to clean. We do take care of a lot of graffiti that is on city property or is in the public right of way along the sidewalks.

If you are interested in something that would compel a property owner to remove graffiti you could ask your city councilor to sponsor an ordinance change that would give property owners a specific number of days to clean graffiti.

City employees cannot go onto private property and clean graffiti or cover it without the property owner’s consent. We don’t like seeing the graffiti either. We take care of what we legally can. Property owners are responsible for their own properties.

Below is the text of the current city ordinance. It has a penalty for committing and act of graffiti but it does not specify a timeline for how long a property owner/victim of vandalism can keep it without removing it.

Good judgment would say remove it as soon as possible. Not everyone exercises good judgment.

Here is the ordinance text:

21-29 Graffiti and defacement of property.

(a) Findings and purpose. This section seeks to help prevent the spread of graffiti and defacement of property, public and private. Graffiti and the defacement of property are destructive of the rights and values of property owners. They are aesthetic blights on the entire community. Graffiti and defacement of property are acts of vandalism, detrimental to the city, and are, therefore, public nuisances.

(b) Definitions.

(1) "Graffiti" means any inscription, word, figure, painting or other defacement that is written, marked, etched, scratched, sprayed, drawn, painted, or engraved on or otherwise affixed to any surface of public or private property by any graffiti implement, without being authorized to do so by the owner of the property or the owner’s duly authorized agent.

(2) "Graffiti implement" means an aerosol paint container, a broad-tipped marker, gum label, paint stick or graffiti stick, etching equipment, brush or any other device capable of scarring or leaving a visible mark on any natural or manmade surface.

(3) "Defacement" means any application or causing the application to any surface of public or private property of paint, varnish, lead, crayon, wax, ink, dye or other substance, or the carving, chiseling, writing, or other such act of any mark, figure or letter on such property without being authorized to do so by the owner of the property or the owner’s duly authorized agent.

(c) Prohibited acts. It shall be unlawful for any person to make graffiti or deface any surface of public or private property unless authorized by the owner of the property or the owner’s duly authorized agent.

(d) Penalties. A violation of this ordinance is a civil offense and shall be punishable by a fine of five hundred dollars ($500.00) with a waiver penalty of four hundred dollars ($400.00). At the discretion of the prosecuting officer or city attorney, this penalty or a part thereof may be waived upon the successful completion of community service related to the elimination of graffiti and defacement.

(Ord. of 10-16-72; Ord. of 6-4-07, eff. 7-4-07)

Thanks for the information. I was not sure what impact the city would or have to do with private properties, as some things the city tells the owners what to do and when to do things and other things like this I guess the city has not caught up to it yet. Too much Govt is not good, Too little govt is not good, Overall, the city of Burlington scores really great in most areas. Thanks again. Crusader

Issue closed