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Commissioners direct follow-up, raise fines as county presses owners on unsafe properties
Summary
Area-plan staff told commissioners about multiple dilapidated or unmaintained properties; the board authorized a higher fine for one rental parcel, ordered outreach to an owner who has been paying fines but not submitting remediation plans, and approved an initial fine for a collapsing house.
Clinton County officials discussed several nuisance properties at the June 3 meeting and directed staff to step up outreach and enforcement, including increasing fines and pursuing condemnation if owners do not respond.
Liz Stitzel of area planning briefed the board on three properties under recurring review: a house in Hillisburg with unpaid health-department issues and liens, a rental property south of town on State Road 39 that is owned by a large landlord firm and is overgrown, and a collapsing house on State Road 26 that a recent purchaser has not repaired. Stitzel said owners have either not submitted remediation plans or have been nonresponsive.
The board voted to increase the fine on the rental property south of town to the $2,500 maximum; the motion was recorded as carrying 3-0. Commissioners also directed staff to contact the Hillisburg owner again and return with an update at the next meeting; the owner has been paying successive fines but has not produced a timeline or contacted the health department about repairs. For the collapsing house on State Road 26, the board approved an initial fine (the board set a first fine of $50 in this case) and noted that condemnation would be considered after repeated noncompliance.
Stitzel said the Hillisburg property owner has been paying fines “as they've been coming through” but “hasn't contacted the health department nor has he submitted any kind of plan to us.” Commissioners expressed concern that continued payments without remediation simply delay a final resolution and asked staff to make direct contact and report back. On the State Road 26 property, commissioners said the new owner had been asked to act but had not, so staff will start enforcement with the first fine and schedule follow-up.
No condemnation motions were approved at the meeting; commissioners described the next enforcement steps as higher fines or condemnation if owners remain unresponsive. Staff will return at the next meeting with status updates and any lien paperwork for formal action.
The discussion combined repeated enforcement history, lien placements, and a newly purchased but neglected house; commissioners emphasized outreach first but signaled readiness to escalate enforcement if owners do not cooperate.
