Homeowner faces $30K in fines, foreclosure after not mowing lawn

A man whose mother died in 2015, then his mower died, and then estate issues in 2016 is saying is why he was unable to mow his yard that has garnered a $500/day fine for the violation. The man says he was not told about the $30,000 fine until Aug 20th last year, then he bought a mower on Aug 21st and mowed his yard. The city that is just not true, the fine is a culmination of years of fines and now since he can't pay they are foreclosing on his house. He is citing the Eighth Amendment’s ban on excessive fines. The mayor has said: "We are not interested in making money on the backs of our citizens," the paper notes the money the city has made from code violations has exploded from $34,000 in 2007 to $1.3 million last year.