Resident reports rodents and erosion from adjacent vacant plant; council directs building department follow-up

Dolores Sullivan, who identified her address as 722 Brookside Drive, told the Gadsden City Council that a vacant plant adjacent to the rear of her property is overgrown and a source of rodents, snakes and trash. Sullivan said she has made repeated complaints over two years and that erosion from a stream behind the site is undermining her yard and allowing animals to enter.

"We're having rodents, and I mean big rats, roaches, snakes, owls coming into my property," Sullivan said during the citizen request-to-speak portion of the meeting. She asked the city to require the property owner to maintain the site to prevent animal incursions and property damage.

Council members acknowledged the complaint and said the building department already met with Sullivan the prior Monday. Councilman Avery said the building director confirmed visible code violations including broken windows, roof problems and overgrowth, and that the property fits the city code definition of a nuisance. Avery said the city has documented the site with photographs and drone footage and will treat the property consistently with other nuisance properties in the city.

The council advised Sullivan that nuisance and abatement matters are handled through the building department and that the department holds a monthly nuisance and abatement hearing; items from that hearing are then presented to the council for action. No formal abatement order or enforcement action was recorded in the meeting transcript; the council directed staff to ensure the building department is aware of Sullivan's concerns and to follow the nuisance-abatement process.