Special magistrate finds property violations at South Fourteenth Street; sets 06/20/2025 compliance deadline

Ron Brown, the city’s special magistrate, on May 20 found property-maintenance violations at a home listed for enforcement at 1 South Fourteenth Street and ordered the owner to correct paint deterioration, remove man-made debris visible from the street, and clear obstructions from the sidewalk.

Brown said the deteriorated paint on the front and side elevations exceeded the code threshold and must be repainted to a “consistent color.” He also found man-made items on the property that are visible from a public right of way and directed their removal. Brown described a trailer and a truck observed on the sidewalk and cited a blocking-of-sidewalks violation.

The findings followed testimony and photographs submitted by city staff, including code enforcement officer Harold Bartelli and staff witnesses who displayed images taken by city inspector David Green and by Bartelli. Bartelli testified that photographs accurately represented the condition of the property on the dates they were taken.

Brown ordered that the property be brought into compliance by the end of the business day on June 20, 2025. He assessed a fine structure of $25 per violation per day — $75 per day for the three violations — to begin if the property is not in compliance on the deadline. Brown explained the city’s objective: “The city doesn’t want your money. They want compliance.”

City staff recorded that certified mail was used and that a posting affidavit was placed on the property; no respondent appeared at the hearing. The record notes contact with a Kenneth Andrews, and staff indicated no signed return of certified mail had been received but a certified-mail receipt and a posting affidavit were in the file.

Formal action: Brown entered an order finding violations of the city code as presented in the magistrate record and set the compliance date and fine schedule. The order and the photographic record will be mailed to the property owner per the city’s practice.

Provided evidence and testimony identified the specific defects as (1) paint deterioration visible from South Fourteenth Street covering more than 10% of each affected elevation, (2) man-made trash and debris visible from the public right of way, and (3) material stored on the sidewalk rendering it partially impassable. The record includes photographs admitted by staff and the magistrate’s findings reference the city’s maintenance standards as applied to the visible elevations and the public-right-of-way clearance standards.

The magistrate hearing concluded after the order was entered; the record notes there was no further testimony from a named respondent at the hearing.