Am I being taxed on the right of way on my property taxes, if so,
I want a refund for every year, or I want to be paid for maintaining the right of way.
Dave Barbee says the city needs to stop cutting crape myrtles around its own back door before its "shrubbery police" send out warning notices to taxpayers who cut theirs back.
Five crape myrtles by a side door of the Municipal Building got the same treatment this year while dozens more in back of the building bear scars of past years' surgeries. So Mr. Barbee, who recently received a letter from the Augusta Public Services Department telling him he'd violated city ordinance by cutting the crape myrtles in front of his Lombardy Court residence, says it's typical government hypocrisy.
Not this time, says City Administrator Fred Russell. After investigating the matter Thursday, Mr. Russell said the city obtained permission July 16 from the Augusta Tree Commission to cut the crape myrtles because of ongoing construction work.
Two other crape myrtles at the opposite end of the building and three right behind it have not been cut, which Mr. Barbee says makes that explanation suspect.
"They're as much in the way of the construction as the five they cut," he said. Another violator of the tree ordinance is the Augusta-Richmond County Coliseum Authority. Dozens of crape myrtles in the Civic Center parking lots were severely pruned this year, but Building and Grounds Committee Chairman Richard Isdell said if the authority had received a letter from the city about them he does not know it.
The point, Mr. Barbee said, is that the "shrubbery police," who are targeting taxpayers, should be focusing on removing dead trees on city property that are about to crash on vehicles and houses.
"But the city's not worried about the oak trees that are dead on the Hill," he said. "They're worried about my crape myrtles. It doesn't make sense. We're swallowing elephants and choking on an ant."
City ordinance prohibits residents from cutting trees on city right-of-ways without written permission from the tree commission.
Comments
Am I being taxed on the right of way on my property taxes, if so,
I want a refund for every year, or I want to be paid for maintaining the right of way.
I think another category of "That's So Augusta" has been identified.
I really don't like the crape myrtles being pruned to KNOBS cause this is NOT CORRECTLY DONE! This doesn't allow the tree to even grow properly, and it reduces the beauty of the tree. If they get pruned severely like this all the time, the city needs to find someone else to prune the trees to make them look more natural instead of like UGLY trees! I should not have to pay for those "Knobby" things that look so hideous as to even call those trees.
This is beyond just the appearance of harrassment!
this isn't news, ya'll quit encouraging him
Get a life Mr. Barbie. Nonumber, I'm sure Augusta would be happy to maintain your right of way if you are willing to have youur taxes increased to provide sufficient staffing to take care of it.
Any nursery person worth their salt will tell you pruning the crepes the way the city and landscapers prune them is wrong. Trees were not meant to be butchered this way; besides they are much more beautiful if left to their natural growing habits. This is just another way to justify hiring kin folk and keeping them on the job.
I think "Summerville Fats" has gotten all the free publicity he is going to out of this horrible government plot. Just say you trim them for homeland security and I am sure no one will notice.
Crape myrtls like to be cut. Its good for them! Ask any horticulteralist.
Any person who uses the phrase "get a Life" needs to follow their own advice.
Give this a rest. Who gives a DANG? We have students fighting, gangs killing innocent people, homeless people, job loss and people losing their homes, and this jackazz is in a power struggle over some damn trees. By the way, " GET A LIFE ".
Dave, the city doesn't have to be RIGHT; because they have the MIGHT.
It's crape murder, I tell ya, crape murder! There was actually a great article in Southern Living a couple of years back stating you don't need to prune them - ever..... Just snip off the low-growing branches as they appear.
I see we have another useless county governing body. Who the hell has ever heard of the Augusta Tree Commission anyway??? Next we need the Augusta Pollen Commission to deal with the outrageous amounts of pollen every spring. Then we need the Augusta Mosquito Commission. The maybe we can have the Augusta Its100degreesandhumidashell Commission. What a freaking waste of time and money...
Oh yeah I forgot the Augusta Thatpapermillsmellslikecrap Commission!
I'll cut mine down to a 1 inch nub if I feel like it. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.
AugustaVoter, that's what I was going to ask. Who the hell in city govt thinks they have the right to tell me when/how I can cut my trees? Is this a late April Fools' Day joke???
Obviously he is prejudiced against crape myrtles. Barbee has probably confided with other Augusta "crape murderers" by e-mail that since he is no longer on the Housing Authority he is gunning for LeRoy Simkins job on the tree commission and needs their support. The AC editorial writers have been giving Barbee a lot of free press and when it gets down to brass tacks, Austin will jump on his bandwagon too. It is impossible to fight the machine and win. Say goodbye to your crape myrtles.
'Nuff said abouit Ms. Mrytle!! ........Let's move on to some subject that might make the CSRA a better place to live.
The City should be happy that someone is taking care of the city right of ways. Does this mean that I can not mow or take care of any vegetation on the edges of my property and complain to the City to mow and trim it? This will shave atleast 5 minutes per week from my summer yard work time. I will be so much more efficient!
I do believe it is crepe vice crap (crap).
The Crape Myrtle is an immigrant that should be deported back to Asia.
The point seems to be in the last sentence of the article. "City ordinance prohibits residents from cutting trees on city right-of-ways without written permission from the tree commission."
Oh crape here we go again. LOL Augusta Voter I loved your posts, oh heck, I really enjoyed everybody's posts on here. thanks for the laughs. Crape is the original spelling for better or for worse, but spellings crape and crepe are both acceptable and considered correct, especially in the SouthEast..
Look at "No Longer Amazed"'s quote: "City ordinance prohibits residents from cutting trees on city right-of ways without written permission." I guess if I'm not a resident, I can cut them any time without permission.
ooooh, wicked thought, Little Lamb. LOL
Hey you can walk up and use your driver this week and as long as you have an out of state tag> you can chop them down into little chunks ! and THIS week it will be no problem !
I don't have tree's in my yard. I say don't worry about gangs, robbery, poverty, high gas prices and people losing their homes, but by gawd.. do care for them tree's.
Since when is a crape myrtle classified as a tree?
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