Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Nuisance Demolition topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council fixes demolition costs for multiple Mobile properties after owners question bills
Summary
Public hearings to declare structures nuisances and set demolition costs for a list of properties drew complaints from property owners about billed amounts; city staff said costs reflect competitive bids plus administrative fees and offered one-on-one reviews.
The Mobile City Council opened public hearings Jan. 28 to declare several structures public nuisances and to fix the costs of demolition and cleanup for a set of properties; the council later approved the related resolutions as part of its consent agenda.
Members of the public questioned billed amounts for specific properties during the hearing. Dan Griffin, who said he is associated with 550 William Street, told council staff that a contractor had quoted $26,100 for work but the city's notice listed a higher amount. Deborah Craig said she was charged $3,000 for cleanup at 1306 Congress Street and asked why.
David, director of municipal enforcement, told the council the agenda lists actual costs. He said the city had processed competitive bids, selected the lowest qualified bidder, inspected the work and added a $200 administrative fee to each account. Staff invited owners to meet after the meeting to review invoice details and documentation.
A member of the public, Reggie Hill, raised a procedural point about livestreaming and asked whether properties under discussion had been reviewed as part of a separate revitalization effort; council leadership said the current hearing was limited to fixing demolition costs and that other topics would not be addressed in that hearing but could be pursued with staff.
The clerk read a list of properties for which the council would fix demolition costs, including 2257 Clinton Street; 1312 Jesse Street; 1306 Congress Street; 727 Florida Street Extension; 550 William Street; 1160 Arlington Street; 2154 Grove Court; 3154 Riverside Drive; 7217 Third Street; and 7151 13th Street. Staff repeated that owners could meet with municipal enforcement staff and the contractor outside the meeting to examine the itemized costs.
The resolutions fixing costs and ordering demolition were adopted later in the meeting as part of the consent agenda.
Council members and staff emphasized that questions about the specific invoices could be resolved through scheduled follow-up meetings so that the council record correctly reflected the costs incurred.
