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Board reduces contractor cleanup charge for 519 Highland to $500 after owner’s appeal
Summary
Following an appeal by property owner Darren Vanmore, the Board of Public Works and Safety reduced a contractor cleanup charge tied to a nuisance abatement at 519 Highland to $500; staff said the initial contractor invoice was approximately $1,019.70 and that the city followed its ordinance notice process.
The Madison Board of Public Works and Safety on Sept. 15 reduced a contractor-assessed cleanup charge for property at 519 Highland to $500 after the property owner appealed the amount, the meeting record shows.
The property owner, who identified himself as Darren Vanmore, told the board he received a mailed notice after the materials were removed and said he had been out of town and would have addressed the issue if he had received notice earlier. Vanmore said the items in question included parts of a trampoline and other small items in the bed of a pickup truck.
Dewey, the city’s code inspector, described the timeline in the packet: he said he inspected the property July 24 and issued a notice of violation that same day by first-class mail. He said a reinspection was conducted July 31 and, as permitted by the city’s nuisance ordinance, a contractor completed abatement on Aug. 6. Dewey said the contractor submitted an invoice for the work and that Dewey had held issuance of a notice of lien while working with the owner.
Dewey said the ordinance requires initial notice by first-class mail and a reinspection five days later; he told the board that he follows the same process for all cases. The property owner said the contractor’s invoice — which he described in the meeting as about $1,019.70 — felt disproportionate to the work he believed had been done.
During discussion the clerk-treasurer’s office and staff suggested procedural changes to speed notification, including affixing notices to the property as well as mailed notice, to reduce reliance on postal timing. The board discussed the difficulty of balancing prompt enforcement and fair notice; board members and staff said they are exploring options to improve notification practices.
Board member Carl moved to reduce the contractor charge to $500 and to allow the owner to work with staff on a payment arrangement; the motion was seconded and passed by voice vote. Staff said the city would work with the owner on payment timing and abstained from issuing a lien while the parties addressed payment.
