I Was Fined for Weeds. The County Audit in My Folder Named the HOA President as the Real Owner.
Dale Whitmore slammed the violation notice onto the table. "Your weeds are dragging down my property values," he announced to the whole hearing room.
I was Ray Barlow, the quiet homeowner who'd lived on Maple Grove Drive for twenty years. Everyone expected me to plead, to apologize for the overgrown strip along my fence. The $350 fine hung over my head, and Dale knew he had the room's attention.
I kept my hand flat on my worn manila folder. I'd been a county records clerk before I retired. I knew how to read a property audit.
"The weeds are on my side of the line," I said. "But you knew that."
Dale leaned forward and jabbed his finger toward me. "Pay the fine or face a lien on your house."
That's when I opened the folder.
I pulled out a single page and held it up so the board members at the side table could see it. The county stamp was in the corner. The date was three weeks ago. And right there, in the box marked "Registered Owner," was the name: Dale Whitmore. Under it, circled in red, was the same violation checkbox he was fining me for — unchecked weeds on Lot 14, the empty lot he'd bought for speculation.
"I never filed a claim on it," I said. "I thought you might want to know why."
The room went silent. Dale's hands dropped to the table, knuckles white. His chair scraped back as he stood, staring at the page.
Then a board member asked, "Lot 14 is yours, then?"
Dale didn't answer. He just sat down, staring at the table. The fine was never mentioned again.
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Follow the link below for the full story — including whether the board voted to remove him, and whether that $350 fine ever got rescinded.
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