Dear editor,

In keeping with our littering problems in LaGrange, we need to address the problem of discarding old tires on the curb. These tires are not the responsibility of the city to pick up and most people know this. 

They are the problem of people who put them on curb to discard. An example is two tires that have been in front of a house on Alton Drive since March 18. That’s over two months.

Not only are they an eyesore for the neighborhood, but they are a breeding ground for mosquitos. These are usually renters that do this, not homeowners that want the grass that the tires will kill.

If you see a code enforcement issue, please call it in.

We also seem to be lax on code enforcement for old and non-running cars that are usually pulled behind houses and out of sight. 

This code — that they are to be removed from the property if not operable — has been in effect for years. 

They are an eyesore for our neighborhoods. If we levy a money fine against these offenses, and not just a warning, these will be corrected and not repeated. 

Money talks and warnings do not. 

One other item. When you discard yard trimmings and items that are not trimmings, you are supposed to separate the piles, not put them in one pile. 

City workers have to sort these out, since they are picked up at different times by different trucks and taken to the dump. 

This will save our city workers time that they don’t have. 

One help would be to give both the refuse and garbage truck drivers a Xerox copy of these violations and while they are stopped they can put the copy on the front door of the house involved. 

Do not put it in the mailbox, since this would be discarded on the ground, adding to litter.

Fred Stagg
LaGrange