Pittsburghers could soon pay up if they don't clean up
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — People in the city of Pittsburgh could soon get a strong reminder to keep their grass cut and their cars parked legally.
Pittsburgh City Councilman Bruce Kraus has a new proposal to crack down on things that could tarnish Pittsburgh's image, including tall grass, overgrown weeds and illegally parked cars.
"Neighborhoods that look like nobody cares about them are ultimately treated as though nobody cares about them," Kraus said.
That's why Kraus proposed the new piece of legislation.
"It used to be the number one call we would get would be around parking," Kraus said. "Parking is still up there, but number one is the inability for people to understand their responsibility to manage their trash and their property."
From crawling weeds to soaring grass and trash piles seemingly morphing into the sidewalk, fines could soon follow. For the first offense, $35. A third offense would be $100.
"These are not intended to be punitive," Kraus said. "They're intended to be educational, to educate people into compliance."
KDKA-TV asked people, does clean really matter?
"if you keep the streets clean, you keep them attractive," resident Michael Marburger said. "You're gonna attract businesses, you're going to attract more communities, you're gonna increase home values down here."
Kraus wants the public to plan on attending meetings to talk about the idea soon. No official dates have been announced.