Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Code Demolition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City updates demolition and minimum-housing enforcement: 90-day process, dozens of cases, target to increase removals
Summary
Code staff briefed the Mayor and Board Commissioners on progress removing fire-damaged and dilapidated residential structures: 25 fire-structure reports in six months, 13 open dilapidation cases, and a 90-day minimum demolition process required by state statute; staff and the mayor said the city will aim to increase annual removals.
Scott, the city's demolition hearing officer and code official, gave the Mayor and Board Commissioners an update on the status of residential structures damaged by fire or deemed dilapidated and described the city's process for removing them.
Scott said the removal process is governed by state statute and requires a minimum 90-day timeline from start to finish: about 14 days of research before the initial notice, 20 days to a hearing, then bid solicitation and contracting (about 21 days for contractor selection and 30 days for the contractor to complete removal). "It is a 90 day process minimum," Scott said.
Scott reported 25 reported fire structures in the past six months; of those, six had been declared dilapidated since December 2024 and several were either already removed by the city or scheduled for removal in June or July. He said 11 reported fire incidents showed no exterior damage on inspection but were sent fire letters to prompt owners to confirm or repair potential interior issues. Separately, Scott said 13 dilapidation cases remain open and 20 additional cases are on the team's radar.
On outcomes, Scott provided a multi-year summary showing that the city demolished 41 structures the department started through the dilapidation process while owners demolished 11; staff also noted 25 cases were brought back into compliance after enforcement steps. Scott described the code team's preference for preserving homes when feasible through the minimum-housing process but said some structures are beyond repair and must be removed. "The idea here is, of course, we don't want to take anybody's house. We would rather the house be fixed up, back on the market, occupied," he said.
Discussion with commissioners focused on enforcement cadence and goals. The mayor and commissioners expressed support for accelerating work within statutory limits; one staff member said the city's operational goal is to pursue roughly 24 demolitions in an active year to address inventories of blight. Scott and staff described how cases originate (citizen reports, ClickFix, field observations) and introduced the code team members who manage inspections and follow-up.
Ending: Staff will continue active casework and return enforcement items to the commission as demolition contracts and hearings progress; commissioners encouraged residents to report dilapidated structures so code staff can prioritize cases.
