Boulevard maintenance put on homeowners

Roger Varley

Homeowners in Uxbridge whose property fronts onto a boulevard will soon be required to maintain that boulevard or face a penalty on their property tax bill.

Chief by-law officer Hilary Williams presented council with a report on Monday calling for establishment of a by-law that would see such homeowners responsible for removing long grass, weeds or obstructions on municipal boulevards.

Williams' report said such a by-law "would offer a more efficient and cost-effective approach to maintaining municipal boulevards (and) provide an enforcement tool." The enforcement tool would involve charging a homeowner extra on their tax bill if the township had to come in and do the work.

The report said that "Public Works staff are often required to address these maintenance issues at the taxpayers' expense, leading to inefficiencies and higher costs for the municipality. By shifting maintenance responsibilities to property owners, the Township can reduce the burden on Public Works staff and lower the overall costs to taxpayers."

Council approved Williams’ recommendations.