Peru collects $20K in grass fines

KOKOMO, Ind. (AP) - A north-central Indiana city that frowns on overgrown lawns collected nearly $20,000 last year from property owners with unkempt lawns.

The Kokomo Tribune reports about 125 property owners in Peru were issued fines during 2011 for allowing their grass to grow taller than 8 inches.

Peru building department clerk Nancy Weeks says the fines stem from a 1982 city ordinance that mandates owners to maintain a well-trimmed yard. She says Peru officials only started collecting liens in 2006 under the ordinance.

Weeks said the city decided to proactively issue fines for unseemly grass lengths to collect income for the general fund. She says enforcement of the ordinance not only brings in extra revenue for Peru, but helps beautify the city that's about 65 miles north of Indianapolis.