Town of Weston photographs weeds to harass and fine resident

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If 3 normal sized cars and 2x 4’x10’ micro cars are a mini junkyard on a half acre lot with a sizable driveway with a side spot is a mini junk yard then yes but I don’t think that meets the definition, 3x are pretty much used a good chunk of the time.

The cars in question are a 1970 Subaru 360, a 2004 Miles ZX40, a dodge pickup and the 2 generic cars are usually on the blacktop

I think what actually set them off (even though it wasn’t mentioned) was a 1930’s trailer my grandfather built out of an ancient 1 ton truck, I’ve been using it each week as I remove bushes and limbs and left it in view attached to the truck, it just looks like a plywood box with 2 big 16.5” tires but normally I hide it in the back yard but didn’t as I have run out of time on Sunday.

They were told once long ago that the trailer has always been on the property, thus grandfathered so bug off years ago and probably still are angry about it.
 
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If the vehicles and weeds are an eye sore, then they in effect lower the property values of homes around. If the city codes are specifically against this then I don't see the argument for this. Sorry the elder lady has health issues but, that isn't relevant to the problem. Ed
 
Eye sore is left to personal interpretation, the cars in question are parked on the car port to the side of the garage
the guy kitty corner has his yard and the whole neighborhood full of trucks once a week for his big noisy parties.

Neighbor across fills their driveway end to end with an RV and boat trailer along with 2 cars

Weeds perhaps but it seems like a pretty petty environment to live because someone doesn’t like how your car looks or some grass growing in cracks in the driveway or weeds in gravel along the edge of the garage

These reasons are why I don’t live in this area, I don’t think weeds on the side of a garage need a legal response
 
Originally Posted By: Rmay635703
Originally Posted By: Leo99
They probably have some sentimental value to you as they were your father's cars, but it might be time to let them go if you're not going to drive them and/or enjoy them.


They aren’t titled to me and still say Bruce May on the title, my mother would likely need to sell and sign and she usually won’t

The title may be an issue unless I junk, the cars are both quite rare but not super valuable.


Donate a couple cars to a suitable charity for a tax receipt. It will be a lot more than $500. value.
 
Originally Posted By: Rmay635703
Originally Posted By: JamesBond
I understand how frustrating this stuff can be, I've sent letters like this. Existing properties that are in "newly incorporated" suburban areas can be particularly complex because lets face it, you were here first.

What is the t
If you can work with the code enforcement person, explain the situation with your mother, show that you are making an effort, they will most likely be happy to give you time to fix any issues and get this off of their desk.

DO NOT try to make an adversary of these people, the adage that "you can't fight city hall" is true. When they realize that you are actual people and not just a "code violation" it will go much smoother.


That’s a nice thought but...

Remember this is the town board that spent a $100000 to prosecute an 80 year old Vietnam vet for haveing a Sunday morning fruit stand in the lot of a local restaurant that was closed Sundays

He was there since the 1970’s

The town didn’t “win” per se but even though he lasted quite a while both him and the restaurant went out of business due to the cost of legal BS

Even though it’s a 2000-$4000 loss for my mother and even though the cars have permanent non expiring plates I likely will have to junk the cars, the local yards have stated they will pay nothing for these small old cars.

I likely will get my arse fired if I take time off to try to market these, I will try talking to the board but my mother already did and the beautification person is on vacation all week and others won’t talk.

I really don’t have any good options, I live over a hundred miles away and my mom will likely do nothing


Other than the Cobalt, what are the cars?
 
Originally Posted By: cjcride
Originally Posted By: Rmay635703
Originally Posted By: Leo99
They probably have some sentimental value to you as they were your father's cars, but it might be time to let them go if you're not going to drive them and/or enjoy them.


They aren’t titled to me and still say Bruce May on the title, my mother would likely need to sell and sign and she usually won’t

The title may be an issue unless I junk, the cars are both quite rare but not super valuable.


Donate a couple cars to a suitable charity for a tax receipt. It will be a lot more than $500. value.


I will see if I can get it setup to donate them today, my tax burden and my mothers tax burden means it probably won’t be mean much of anything to us but better than letting the local yards get a deal.

There is a local cheap storage guy $1.5 a day,
my dad used to pay $14 a month too bad that’s not an option anymore , I could have more time to market

I will see which I can make happen

Thanks guys, I was mainly venting,
It was very frustrating to have to drive hundreds of miles because someone got a bug in their [censored]
 
public shaming, call the TV station, human interest story.

donate to local PBS and they might do a story about evil Weston too.

Rod
 
The Subie 360 definitely has some collector value, the Miles low speed EV who knows? You say the 3 other vehicles get regular use, and your mom is crippled up with her illness. Sounds like other people are using the cars? Possible for some of the cars to go live elsewhere? You mentioned she won't sell them but you might junk them, that's going to put you in a bad way with mom. Sounds like mom wants things to remain the same and be left alone but that probably isn't an option.

Rent a storage unit and move the micro cars until you can sell them and make mom some money?

Put the cars where you hide the trailer?

No room at your place for the micros?

Hire someone to deal with the landscape issues while you deal with the cars? If you're the only person available to deal with the situation and your time is limited then some prioritization and getting best use of your time is necessary. Have you had a face to face with someone from the city?
 
Hire a landscaping company to come clean up the yard, and put an article on Bring A Trailer for the cars.
Just say free for parts.

All taken care of.

I don't understand why this is so hard to resolve.

BC.
 
Collectors love micro cars. The lady wanting the car already did her research it sounds like. You can also put on specific collector clubs for sale. Weed through the cars and scrap the ones that are not of much value except as steel. Keep the ones that are and get market for them, don't get cheated. Tough and unfair situation. It's not like the parents signed a document agreeing to HOA type rules, they were there first. My town has a lot of small old houses that were built right on the lot lines, no setbacks, the town can't do a thing, grandfathered in. Only if a new house is built do the rules apply. This is a little different maybe but legally maybe not.
 
Originally Posted By: ragtoplvr
public shaming, call the TV station, human interest story.

donate to local PBS and they might do a story about evil Weston too.

Rod





I agree with this - possibly. OP hasn’t posted a pic to show us how much of an eyesore it all is, or isn’t.

These overzealous HOA types are an issue, but if they “incorporate” people, that’s problem #1, and if it’s not bad, that’s problem. #2.

I wouldn’t want a fleet of service trucks or junk cars in my eyeline. However, a few parked and functioning cars, or a pickup truck is none of anyones’ business There’s good optics then there’s wacky HOA types. No thanks.

OP post pics please.
 
I would tell them to go blank themselves. Individuals like that have WAY too much time on their hands. They need to go get a part time job,or a hobby or something.
 
That pic must have been taken during the week when my father was at work (car is gone)
Not much has changed, except the craft trailer, old Suburbans and motor home are gone which seems to anger the village more
The truck micro cars and regular car are the only things left now. Back in the day we would each take a Suburban to a craft show and set up, that photo was in the brief time between getting rid of the old brown diesel suburban(the one I usually used)and using the truck instead.

Most everything is closed around here today but I caught a rep from a storage place and need to get an appointment,
If I take days off I’m likely canned
 
Originally Posted By: Rmay635703
That pic must have been taken during the week when my father was at work (car is gone)
Not much has changed, except the craft trailer, old Suburbans and motor home are gone which seems to anger the village more
The truck micro cars and regular car are the only things left now. Back in the day we would each take a Suburban to a craft show and set up, that photo was in the brief time between getting rid of the old brown diesel suburban(the one I usually used)and using the truck instead.

Most everything is closed around here today but I caught a rep from a storage place and need to get an appointment,
If I take days off I’m likely canned


Why do you want to keep the cars? Mom is sick. Worry about her and not the cars.
 
(7) All abandoned and wrecked or dilapidated motor vehicles, buses, railroad cars and
house trailers.

are considered "nuisances" from

https://westonwi.gov/DocumentCenter/View/55/50---Nuisances?bidId=

They also define

(21) Good Working Condition. "Good working condition" shall mean capable of
performing the task for which it was designed and in the manner intended by
this code.

To me this reads if the cars start and run she's in the clear.

They also don't let you keep "weeds" such as burrdocks. What a bunch of jerks. This little village sure is full of itself with this lengthy pile of rules!

Also relevant:

c. Remedy from order. Any person affected by such order shall, within thirty
(30) days of service or publication of the order, apply to the Circuit Court
for an order restraining the Village and the inspecting officer from
entering on the premises and abating or removing the nuisance, or be
forever barred. The court shall determine the reasonableness of the order
for abatement of the nuisance.
 
Originally Posted By: Leo99
Originally Posted By: Rmay635703
That pic must have been taken during the week when my father was at work (car is gone)
Not much has changed, except the craft trailer, old Suburbans and motor home are gone which seems to anger the village more
The truck micro cars and regular car are the only things left now. Back in the day we would each take a Suburban to a craft show and set up, that photo was in the brief time between getting rid of the old brown diesel suburban(the one I usually used)and using the truck instead.

Most everything is closed around here today but I caught a rep from a storage place and need to get an appointment,
If I take days off I’m likely canned


Why do you want to keep the cars? Mom is sick. Worry about her and not the cars.


I agree mom is sick, why should some **** in an office be able to force me to waste days of my life focusing on trying to get rid of something unpopular in this area and focus on maintaining 2 yards hundreds of miles apart?

At the end of the day they are my moms cars, she has never made any effort whatsoever or any indication she wants to sell, at the moment she definitely isn’t able.

So,
If My mom didn’t get a 7 day notice on some unimportant BS I could focus more on things that are actually important, weeds and a couple 4’x10’ cars aren’t.

Further the place I work can be pretty black and white about absence, I can get canned
the charities I checked aren’t open weekends and the yards didn’t have anyone to accept cars Saturday
Most everything in this area is closed weekends, I happened to catch a guy fixing something at a storage place or I wouldn’t have gotten a box to put them in and a couple grand a year expense if I can’t get time off to clear them out.
the ads I have up haven’t gotten a response, if I need to be here during the week between my job and these cars i will choose my job

I was always taught to mind my own [censored] business when it comes to other peoples property and I think a lot of problems in this country would be solved if people did.
 
Originally Posted By: spasm3
Do they run? What if you move them for a week or so then bring them back?


The one car burned the main harness 3 weeks ago and is likely going away ,
the other car runs fine.

The one that runs i am going to fight if I’m back home when I can “talk” to the beautification person who is on vacation.

Just to reference past experiences...
When I was laid off years ago, my folks left to do errands I went outside to trim a bush and the board admin hijacked me in the yard screaming in my face about the hedge. I told him I’m a unemployed vagrant and only am living here until I get another job and to talk to Bruce the property owner,
the neighbors adult son at that time was mad about leaves coming off trees and came out as well to add to the fire, I told the admin he was just a vagrant like me and should have no say either since neither one of us owned the property.
Thankfully that guy is in prison now.

So what I’m trying to say is it’s not worth fighting.
Especially at the moment.

When I have more time and energy perhaps.
 
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