Residents of Perron Road told the North Little Rock City Council on a public-comment agenda item that a neighbor’s property has deteriorated into what they described as a long-running health and safety hazard, and they urged the city to enforce codes. City staff said citations are in place and the matter is scheduled for court.

The neighbors’ emailed petition, read into the record, said the conditions at properties owned by William Sean Blankenship include truckloads of debris, at least nine apparently inoperable vehicles, no electricity at multiple buildings, “toxic smoke” reported by neighbors and repeated 911 calls. The email asked the city for “definitive, visible, timely, and lasting action.”

Why it matters: neighbors said the situation has continued for more than three years and they described infestations, nighttime screaming and declines in property values. Council members and staff repeatedly advised neighbors that the city must follow code-enforcement procedures and that the court process is the next step.

At the meeting, staff member Felicia Fields said the property owner has been cited and “he is currently in court. He has a court date coming up on the seventeenth.” Fields said the hearing is in “Morley’s court” and that the judge “has advised that he would impose daily fines on him if he has not corrected the situation.” Fields also encouraged residents to attend the July 17 hearing to testify about neighborhood impacts and said the prosecutor, Rick Hogan, would be asked to allow residents to speak to the judge about harm to the neighborhood.

Janet Stallings, who said she lives directly across Perron Road from the cited property, described vehicles and debris on the property and said she and other neighbors have repeatedly documented the conditions and fear retaliation if they are publicly listed among petition signatories. Stallings and other speakers asked the council to use every available tool to protect nearby households.

Council and staff response emphasized process. Staff reiterated that the city has laws that allow for citations and fines but that enforcement depends on court outcomes; Fields said the city will follow up with the prosecutor and urged neighbors to appear at the July 17 hearing to demonstrate the neighborhood impact.

The council accepted and filed the written communications containing the petition during the communications portion of the meeting.

What remains open: the transcript shows the July 17 court date and staff’s pledge to work with the prosecutor, but it does not show a final court outcome or additional city enforcement actions beyond citations and the pending hearing.

Neighborhoods affected: Perron Road and adjacent blocks; residents asked the city to notify petition signatories of follow-up.