The city now says the neighborhood's homeowners association, rather than individual residents, is responsible for cleaning this up.

Lourdes Medrano / arizona daily star

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Tired of the weeds and trash across the street from her house on West 24th Street, resident Xochitl Foley complained to the city. Six months later, she still waits for change.

"Nothing was ever cleaned up," Foley said, sounding resigned.

In July, the Arizona Daily Star reported that the city had taken some action in response to Foley's complaints. At the time, a city administrator said that even though the area is within the city's right of way, the homeowners in the subdivision are responsible for keeping the area free of weeds and trash. The city reminded them of that duty in 17 postcards sent out in late June.

"We did not get compliance from those homeowners," said Andrea Ibañez, deputy director of the Community Services Department.

After the city received a second complaint, inspector Dave Cox said he went out to the area. Upon inspection, he decided the responsibility for its upkeep lies not with individual homeowners but with their homeowners association.

A notice of violation was sent in early October to Paseo Estrella Homeowners Association, which signed for the certified mail but did not reply within the required 30 days, Cox said Monday.

"Now there'll be a citation issued," the code-enforcement inspector added.

The case will be handled through the city prosecutor's office, which will send a summons to appear in court, Cox said. If it's found to have violated a city ordinance, the homeowners association could face a fine ranging from $100 to $2,500, he said.

Neither Colin Zimmerman, HOA president, or Ken Bade, president of Lewis Management Resources, which manages the HOA, said they knew about the city's notice of violation.

"We'll make every good effort to try to resolve the problem, now that I'm aware of it," Zimmerman said.

— Lourdes Medrano