Sanctions will not force you to pick up the sickle — sekunde.lt

Owners of abandoned, unmowed land have another week to clean it up. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay higher land taxes after a second inspection by council experts. While this unpleasant prospect prompts most people to buy a lawn mower, 20 to 30 owners are forced to open their wallets every year.

Every summer, experts from the municipal administration’s public order department inspect unused, abandoned and neglected land.

The city’s maintenance and cleanliness rules state that grass in yards must be mowed regularly between May 1 and September 30 and kept to a height of no more than 20 cm (± 5 cm).

Lot owners must also take care to cut back low-value shrubs and ensure that trash, construction and other waste materials do not accumulate.

Otherwise, such properties should be included in the brownfield list.

According to the head of the public order department, Tad Martinatis, this year, after inspection, 132 plots have been included in the preliminary blacklist. Letters have been sent to their owners, asking them to clean them up.

Last year there were 147 such plots and the year before that there were 101.

Residents also reported

According to T. Martinaitis, most of the abandoned, unmown land this time is privately owned. Usually, such plots have at least several owners.

Corporate assets were also included in the “blacklist”. These plots of land were not only located on the outskirts of the city, but also throughout Panevėžys.

For most property owners, the biggest problem on their property is mowing the lawn. Loaded with stuff, clutter, waste, disassembled cars – not to mention.

This year, we received multiple complaints from residents about unmaintained plots. There were dozens of them even before the inspections began. According to the host, most of them were caused by plots formed on the outskirts of the city.

“People are actively protecting their environment – those who have built houses have taken care of themselves. The grassy areas that remain empty nearby are an eyesore,” said T. Martinaitis.

T. Martinaitis said that after receiving a warning letter, the plot owner usually rushes to solve the problem. The public order department received several letters with evidence that the disturbance had been eliminated.

“However, as every year, out of more than a hundred plots in the preliminary list, there are about 20 to 30 plots that require measures,” the head of the Ministry of Public Security admitted.

How many there will be this year is not yet clear – experts from the public security department are planning another inspection in late July-early August.

In this way, the municipality sends information notices to owners of unimproved plots, informing them that their properties will be added to the list of abandoned plots. After the latter are handed over to the State Tax Inspectorate, such properties will be subject to an additional 5% tax. Customs duty.

T. Martinaitis said that only a few people applied to the city and repaired themselves quickly before being included in the final list of delinquent persons, thus avoiding considerable financial sanctions.

Giving is better than managing

The presenter said sanctions are more effective than imposing small fines on offenders.

If the plot is large – or in the heart of a city – higher land taxes can add up to a significant sum.

“I think the tax increases were sometimes hundreds of euros”, T. Martinaitis believes.

However, some owners have not been forced to save money for many years.

According to T. Martinaitis, the court even passed an order for one citizen, but he ignored it, preferring to pay a higher fee.

“Even though he paid the fine, he still maintained his lifestyle. It’s one of the most bizarre cases,” T. Martinaitis said, adding that there is still hope that some lot owners will respond to the call for fall cleanup.

This doesn’t happen often, but it can happen when you have to pay land tax and the amount is much higher than expected.

A stone in the municipal garden

Sometimes the owner of an abandoned, unmown plot of land will reveal to municipal experts why they don’t take care of the property.

T. Martinaitis said that the motives varied. However, the explanation was usually that the owner was away. However, after returning, he mowed the grass again. But according to the head of the public order department, if this was done in the spring, it is not surprising that in the summer it looks uncut again.

According to him, you need to take care of your property throughout the year.

“If we own real estate, we need to be responsible for it – either ask someone for help or hire someone to take care of the property,” comments T. Martinaitis.

The leader did not hide that the department’s employees were also criticized – it was said that not all the land in the municipality was mowed, despite requests to residents to do so.

“However, people often say this without investigating who actually owns the land,” says T. Martinaitis. For example, the grass growing next to an apartment building that maintains its territory is not necessarily the responsibility of the municipality.

“Even the land near the running track and playground, which looks like government land, usually has private owners,” the city representative assured.