Homeowner won’t face $1,000 fine over mulch, city says

Joshua Pechter never expected a pile of mulch to cause this much trouble.

He arrived at Atlanta Municipal Court at 8 a.m. Wednesday, expecting to hear the city was dismissing a citation involving his efforts to spruce up a park near his home.

Wrong.

The attorney representing the city said Pechter violated the law and a judge held the case over for a trial date next month. The fine is $1,000.

But then at 4 p.m., city officials told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that the case will be dismissed by the June 17 court date.

So what changed? City Solicitor Raines Carter explained there was miscommunication between city departments about whether to dismiss the case. Carter’s staff thought the city wanted to pursue the charges.

Pechter’s troubles began on April 22, when a city Public Works employee cited him for “stockpiling of mulch in the right of way.” Pechter’s defense: he and his neighbors planned to lay down the mulch along Mayson Ravine Park, located in Brookhaven, as part of their beautification project.

“This goes into the no good deeds goes unpunished file,” he said at the time.

The city requires neighborhood groups to inform it before they embark on such efforts. Pechter said he wasn’t aware of the rule.

His councilman, Howard Shook, and others appealed to city officials, suggesting at the very least that Pechter get a warning.

Public Works officials released a statement Wednesday afternoon that said the entire matter was a misunderstanding and: “It is not the intent of the Public Works Department to pursue this matter any further.”

To which, said Pechter, “That sounds terrific. I just wish they would have done it earlier.”