Some stung at no fault of their own

Regardless of who is at fault for the extraordinary weed abatement bills in Willows this year, one thing that no one has disputed is that the program hurt some local property owners at no fault of their own.

Curt Collins is a former counselor at Fout Springs Youth Correctional Facility who retired in 2001 after he was seriously injured on the job.

Collins, 49, is disabled, constantly battling severe back and knee pain. He is still recovering from his most recent knee surgery earlier this summer.

Collins has owned a home on the 800 block of Sherwood Way since 1996 and has never had the city abate his property before, always choosing to have the work done himself.

"I always took care of all the weeds and brush, every year," Collins said.

Because of his disability, this year Collins asked his next door neighbor, Patrick Otterson, to do enough work to keep the abatement crew away. Otterson said he completed the work and was told by the Fire Department not to worry about Collins' backyard.

However, the work crew came through anyway and Collins was slapped with a $630 bill.

Despite the fact that his bill is relatively smaller than many others this year, Collins said he simply doesn't have the money to pay it, and hopes he won't have to.

Collins' home was seriously damaged three years ago when a neighboring development was under construction, and due to the subsequent structural integrity issues, he has been unable to rent the property.

"It's been really hard and this place has turned into a bad lemon," Collins said. "I feel bad that it can't be rented. It's an eyesore for the neighborhood, but I'm out of options and losing a fortune."

Fire Capt. Skip Sykes acknowledged Tuesday that the information he gave to Otterson was mistaken and said he later learned the backyard should have been taken care of at the same time.

Collins seemed understanding of the error, but was still angry and unwilling to pay for following the bad information.

"I did every single thing I thought I had to do and still got billed," Collins said.

Collins has owned several other rental properties in other areas and said he has never had to deal with abatement bills before. He said he prides himself on being a good landlord.

Several officials expressed regret and were hopeful the city could waive Collins' bill, but also said they were concerned that letting his bill go would force them to waive charges for others that are perhaps less deserving.

City Manager Steve Holsinger called Collins' situation "unfortunate."

"That (billing) should never have occurred."

Contact Rob Parsons at 934-6800 or rparsons@tcnpress.com.