Is Code Enforcer Flouting Dead-Tree Law?
(CBS) – A south suburban village code enforcer demands that residents in Crete get rid of dead trees in their yard.
When CBS 2's Charlie De Mar paid him a visit, you won't believe what was in his yard: a dead tree.
Resident Ted Dufour is left with just a stump after removing a massive dead oak tree from his property.
"They left a citation on my door and they said I have a dead tree on my yard," he says.
Neighbor pam Koch got that same notice from the village of Crete.
It said she was violating code and needed to remove the dead tree from her yard.
"They gave me until July 18 to get it down," Koch says.
She complied, removing the dead tree from her property. A mulch pile is all that is left.
It's not cheap to bring down a tree
"It's really stressed me out -- its money I didn't anticipate spending this year," Dufour says.
The violations were signed and handed down by village code enforcer Ryan Allison.
The thing is, Dufour notes, the code enforcer himself has a dead tree in his own yard.
From the street, you can see what looks like a dead tree on the Allison property.
Allison declined comment.
"This guy here doesn't have to follow the rules but everyone else does," Dufour says.
For residents who did not get their trees down by July 18, extensions were granted in some cases.
CBS 2 has yet to hear back from the village president.