Report: Sacramento's Ill-Maintained Lots Create Potentially Dangerous Situations
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — The city of Sacramento owns a lot of land. Close to 2,000 parcels. But now the city auditor released a report saying Sacramento is not properly maintaining a lot of its publicly-owned property, creating potentially dangerous situations.
Investigators went to 26 empty lots owned by Sacramento and found five overgrown with weeds. Anything over 12 inches is considered a danger, but CBS13 found weeds on city property along 34th Avenue with weeds as high as the six-foot fence.
Neighbors say they have complained about the vacant property in the past.
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Another city-owned field of weeds in Natomas backs up to a large apartment complex. Fortunately, there's a fire station across the street. The crews there respond to dozens of field fire calls each summer, and on occasion, the fast-moving flames damage homes.
Homeowners hope this audit will prompt the city to take action before another fire breaks out.
The audit found the city could save thousands of dollars in maintenance fees each year by selling some of their extra properties.