Budgets are not the only thing being trimmed by the Dunedin City Council, which has overgrown hedges and trees on its hit list.
Property owners whose vegetation encroaches on public footpaths and roads will receive notice from the council requesting prompt removal of the safety hazard.
It is the responsibility of property owners to cut back any of their vegetation which blocks pedestrian paths or hangs low over roads and public accessways.
DCC technical officer of transportation and operations Michael Tannock said vegetation should not prevent two people walking abreast along a footpath, or hang below a height of 2.5m.
Tree branches hanging below 4.5m over a road also have to be cut, as well as those more than 0.5m beyond the kerb.
When the council receives complaints about overgrown vegetation, or otherwise becomes aware of a problem area, it issues notices to the appropriate property owners.
They were asked to suitably cut vegetation back within a month, or a second "formal" notice would be issued by the council, Mr Tannock said.
If property owners failed to respond, they can receive a bill for council contractors to undertake the work.
Mr Tannock said the situation did not often progress to billing property owners, as most acted on the first notice.
He said it was a good time of year to trim trees and hedges, because a lot of growth stopped or slowed during winter.
"It's worth people regularly trimming hedges and trees, because if they grow out too far you have to give them a good hard cut back, which can be bad for them," he said.
