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Council discusses code enforcement, occupational-license enforcement and targeted demolitions for condemned houses
Summary
Council members pressed for stronger enforcement of blight and code violations, including a proposal to tie occupational licenses to property‑maintenance compliance and to fund demolition of condemned houses. Attorney Jones said the council can adopt an ordinance to withhold or revoke occupational licenses from owners with properties
Council members raised prolonged code‑enforcement and blight issues during the meeting and discussed new tools to hold property owners accountable, including revoking or declining occupational licenses for owners who maintain multiple properties in dangerous or dilapidated condition.
Background and council concerns: The council said multiple properties are in advanced disrepair and that existing letters and notices have not progressed to environmental court or cleanup. Council members urged a quicker enforcement path and suggested the council needs a tool that can compel owner action or remove economic incentives for owners who hold blighted properties without remedying violations.
Legal option proposed: City Attorney Attorney Jones outlined a potential ordinance to allow the city to decline, suspend, or revoke an occupational license when the licensee owns property that is in violation of city property-maintenance ordinances. Jones said such a procedure would include notice and an opportunity to be heard and could be used to compel property owners to address dangerous structures or public‑nuisance properties. The attorney indicated he could draft proposed ordinance language for council consideration.
Demolition and cooperative agreements: For several condemned properties on Marable Street the council considered contracting with a nonprofit contractor to perform demolitions at an estimated total not to exceed roughly $8,500 for multiple houses (specific quote in the meeting included line items such as $3,000 and $2,500 per house). Council members said those properties have been condemned by prior council action and that demolition or cleanup would improve public safety and neighborhood conditions. The city attorney described the standard condemnation process — citation, hearing before the council, engineer’s report and then a council order — and said the city can place a lien for demolition costs if the owner does not pay.
Council direction and follow-up: Council directed the city attorney to draft an occupational-license ordinance that links compliance with property-maintenance requirements to issuance or renewal of business licenses and to prepare cooperative‑agreement paperwork for targeted demolitions and repairs so work can proceed as funds and approvals allow. The transcript records motions and discussion but does not record roll-call voting tallies on final adoption of any new ordinance at this meeting.
Ending: Council members asked for a draft ordinance and a timetable to present it at a subsequent council meeting and asked code-enforcement staff to move the most severe condemnation cases toward the hearing and demolition steps already described in ordinance.
