City Revs Up New Lawn Care Contract

Abandoned and foreclosed homes in the area, along with homes with poor lawn maintenance, will continue receiving biweekly trims, aldermen decided Tuesday. 

signed off on a contract with American Lawn, of South Holland, for maintainence of properties and structures in Oak Forest, to keep them compliant with city codes.

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The contract sets a rate of $45 for initial mowing of a property, with each subsequent mowing for $27. The latter rate is $2 more than the previous rate for the 2011 year, although it is about $8 less than the 2010 rate, according toBuilding Commissioner Gary Gerdes. During 2011 the city spent $7,835 on mowing services.

"We're a couple bucks higher, probably because of gas," Gerdes said.

Gerdes said that the city will decide which properties within the city need to be mowed or maintained by American Lawn.

"We give them a list of properties that need to be maintained," he said. "Every now and then, the owner is there, [though] usually they're the vacant or foreclosed homes."

Each time the company mows or maintins a property, the city places a $400 lien is placed against the home. The city has contracted lawn maintenance for the past three years. 

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