Letter to the editor

My sister has a home in Kimball, Nebraska, and has owned this home for over 40 years. Now in her 80s, she still works to support herself. She has health problems, as do most people of that age. This past summer she got a letter from the City of Kimball stating she had 20 days to remove a dead tree from her property or face a $1,000.00 fine each day for as long as it was not removed. She wasn’t sure if the tree was on her property, or her neighbors or right on the property line. Her home is neat as a pin – fresh paint, new roof, trimmed and clean. This letter upset her, when she told me of it I was upset too. Her neighbor works for the city, I don’t know if he got a letter like that or not. I was there over this last weekend, she showed me the letter, I got mad. It was from the city but the letterhead was Kimball Police Department. Have these people not heard of intimidation? Harassment? $1,000.00 a day? 20 days to get it removed? Why a Kimball Police Department letterhead, why not City of Kimball? I didn’t know it was against the law to have a dead tree on your property. People that are supposed to take care of their citizens, sending this to a widow, living alone, with a heart condition, that is in her 80s? I wanted to hire an attorney. She told me to forget it. She dipped into her meager savings and had the tree removed. What of the home owner that doesn’t have the money for the removal? Citizens of Kimball, these people are elected, maybe next election they should be un-elected. Next letter may be to you!

J. Pete Scales,

Pocatello, Idaho