Commission OKs abatement orders for multiple nuisance properties; U.S. Marshals to secure one parcel

The city commission voted on multiple abatement orders during a code-enforcement session that addressed accumulated trash, tire dumping and unsecured buildings at a string of properties across town.

The actions matter because commissioners said repeated cleanup requests and owner inaction have left neighborhoods with fire and public-health risks and because the city may charge cleanup costs back to owners and place liens if those costs go unpaid.

Commission members authorized immediate abatement for properties identified by staff, discussed one parcel the U.S. Marshals Service had recently seized, and agreed to monitor progress at other addresses before returning them for further action if owners do not make repairs or clean up debris.

“We’ll take a motion—to abate or clean property up,” said Speaker 3, a board member, opening the general abatement discussion. Speaker 4, a board member, moved to “authorize the city to abate the violations, 1123 Coble,” and Speaker 5, a code enforcement officer, seconded the motion. Speaker 3 called the voice vote; members responded “Aye,” and the motion carried.

Staff described a case at 204 Chaparral where the commission planned to order the city to secure and mow the property. During the week before the hearing, the U.S. Marshals Service contacted staff and said it would send a custodian to board and mow the parcel; staff asked the commission to remove that property from the abatement list. “We were going to ask for an order to secure the property, but just this last week the U.S. Marshals Service reached out,” Speaker 5 said. The commission moved and approved removing the parcel from the list.

Other properties discussed included 107 Baird, 822 Kennedy (Lot 12, Block 6, Rock Creek Addition), 603 Mississippi and 1021 North Hedgecope. Staff reported mixed results: some properties showed recent mowing and trash removal but still had remaining debris; others remained long-standing nuisances with boarded windows, overgrown vegetation and tire dumps. At 822 Kennedy staff said crews plan to take tires to the city transfer station for disposal.

Commissioners pressed staff on next steps when owners do not complete cleanup. Staff reminded the commission the usual path is for the city to abate and then charge the owner; if the owner does not pay, the city may file a lien. “If we get involved, the debris that we haul out of there will be charged to the owner,” Speaker 5 said. Staff also noted some properties are tax-delinquent, which can affect options for long-term resolution.

Board members discussed humanitarian considerations where property owners are living on-site and have health problems; those concerns led the commission in at least one case to defer immediate abatement and to agree to review progress at a future meeting. At 1021 North Hedgecope, a resident who remains on the property said he was working to clean up but has limited help; the commission agreed to review that property again at the next meeting.

The commission asked staff to continue monitoring progress, to prepare abatement orders where cleanup stalls, and to document costs that could become liens. No specific dollar figures for cleanup costs or the timeline for lien filings were provided during the hearing.

The session closed after the commission set follow-up reviews for several properties and carried motions to abate others. Staff said they will return updates to the commission at future meetings and will proceed with abatement and billing where owners fail to act.