Commissioners seed code enforcement cleanup fund with $100,000 from LATCF to address nuisance properties

Klamath County commissioners voted to seed the county’s code enforcement cleanup activity with $100,000 from LATCF funds to address a group of nuisance properties that were taken back through code enforcement and tax‑lien processes.

A county official explained the county has historically used a property cleanup fund tied to the property sales/trust account to address cleanups on tax‑foreclosed properties, but recent properties returned to county ownership due to code enforcement liens present larger cleanup costs. Staff described a mix of scenarios in which cleanup costs can exceed the property's resale value and said the code enforcement division lacks sufficient funds to address several large properties now in county custody.

Staff said there are three properties currently identified for cleanup; two of those properties are large and together contain roughly 100 vehicles (about 50 vehicles apiece). The official estimated that seeding the cleanup fund with $100,000 would allow code enforcement to address those properties and others over a two‑ to three‑year period, though the fund would likely need replenishment as properties are processed and sold. The official said the process for repaying cleanup costs after a sale is to satisfy back taxes and higher‑priority liens first, then recover the county’s cleanup costs before any remaining proceeds are allocated.

A commissioner moved to seed the code enforcement cleanup line with $100,000 from LATCF funds; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. Commissioners noted this will likely be an ongoing issue and that the board may need to revisit funding if more large nuisance properties are identified in the future.