Council discusses unsafe-building ordinance after state board says city lacks authority over one property

The Natchitoches City Council introduced an ordinance that would declare multiple buildings unsafe and set hearings to require demolition or repairs, but council members and staff said legal questions about ownership will slow action on at least one large property.

The ordinance (Ordinance No. 021 of 2025) listed properties including 801 Dixie Street, 412 Martin Luther King Drive, 817 Fourth Street and 852 Second Street and would authorize notice, fix a hearing date and appoint a curator to represent absentee owners. Planning staff presented images and updates for each site during the council’s meeting.

Planning and zoning staff said the property at 801 Dixie Street — which previously served as a Head Start and trade school building — is wide open, has suffered several fires and has become a public-safety concern. Finance and legal staff told the council they received a letter from the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on the morning of the meeting asserting that the municipality does not have authority to condemn a building owned by the state.

“The letter is stating that we as a municipality does not have the authority to condemn a building that's owned by the state,” Planning Director Chantrell Rock said. Council members and staff said city attorneys will review the claim and seek documentation of ownership and any documents that support the board’s assertion before the council moves to final action.

Owners or property representatives addressed the council about two addresses that had been given 30 additional days to show progress. Cynthia Mandarino, who spoke about 817 Fourth Street, said she has done outside cleanup and is waiting on her contractor to finish license issues so permits can be filed. “He’s finally received a letter that he is eligible to sit the exam,” Mandarino said, and said she will bring the permit documentation to staff once available.

Council members emphasized that condemnation is not an automatic demolition order but a tool to require owners to repair structures or proceed to other remedies if they fail to act. Because the state-ownership question for the former Head Start site is unresolved, council members asked staff and attorneys to confirm title and to report back before advancing a final vote on that property.

The ordinance was introduced for further consideration and procedural steps: the council’s packet and staff presentations will be revisited at the next regular meeting once legal ownership is clarified and any required public notices have run their course. Residents who spoke were told to coordinate with Planning and Zoning staff about permits and documentation while the city’s attorneys follow up with the state board.

Council action: Because the ordinance was introduced and several properties were placed on the condemnation track, the council differentiated between the items that remain on an introduction track and those for which staff will seek documentation or pursue final action once legal questions are resolved.

For now, no final condemnation vote was recorded on the state-owned property; staff will report back with ownership documentation and legal advice before the council considers a final action.