DeKalb's Yards of Distinction worthy of praise

Municipalities find themselves with a host of challenges these days. Most of them somehow involve money. Home landscaping and yard maintenance might not be at the top of the priority list for municipalities, but it is becoming a problem in some places, and it does involve money. More importantly, it involves value.

Yards tend to get short shrift when joblessness and economic uncertainty are on the rise. Across cities in DeKalb, homes are for sale (either by choice or by foreclosure). Many are left empty, and this can lead to a distinct lack of curb appeal. At the same time, homeowners might be less willing to spend a few hundred dollars on shrubs and trees. Families are still in situations in which that money is better saved or spent on necessities.

But municipalities are letting homeowners know that keeping up appearances is a necessity. Property values are enhanced by landscaping. And, arguably, personal value in a home and in a neighborhood increases when the people who live there take time to make it look nice.

DeKalb has started a program called Yards of Distinction, which rewards attractive properties and, in the process, prods ugly ducklings into compliance. This program is winning our praise because it’s positive – it encourages homeowners to spend time preening property. Winning properties get identifying signs.

Of course, negative reinforcement is alive and well – and, in some cases, it is necessary. Sycamore recently hired a company to remove weeds and move the lawns of property owners who are in violation of the city’s nuisance ordinance. Property owners are then billed for the cost of the service.

This isn’t frivolous stuff. It’s not about who has the biggest roses or the greenest lawn. It’s about personal and community pride, and it’s about putting a good face forward even when times are tough.