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Madison County commissioners approve planning access to unsafe-structure fund for neighborhood cleanup
Summary
The commission authorized the planning department to access a small, existing unsafe-structure fund to pilot neighborhood cleanups in the Phillips and Mary Innisdale areas; council appropriation is still required before money can be spent.
Madison County commissioners voted to allow the planning department to seek appropriation from the county council to use an existing unsafe-structure fund for a prototype neighborhood cleanup program.
Planning Department official Larry Strange said the program aims "to give residents a year to get their properties in order before we begin our enforcement process." Strange told the commission the effort targets concentrated code violations around Alexandria in the Phillips and Mary Innisdale neighborhoods and was unveiled at a public meeting in August at the Beulah Park Community 4-H Center.
The proposal asks the commission to authorize the planning department to access funds in an active unsafe-structure account (fund number 1207). Strange said the account currently holds $5,024 and was established in February 2005. "These funds are typically used for demolition of houses," he said, and the department proposes an initial use of the money to rent roll-off dumpsters to help residents expedite cleanup.
Strange said the amount in the fund is not sufficient to demolish an unsafe structure under current costs and described the plan as a prototype that could be used in other areas if successful. He said staff is exploring ways to replenish the fund without tapping the general fund, including diverting fines into the account or placing tax liens on properties after enforcement periods expire.
A commissioner who said the county previously used roughly $30,000 a year for removal efforts supported restoring a dedicated fund balance for cleanup work. Commissioners approved a motion to allow the planning department to access the fund and to seek appropriation from the county council. The motion passed by voice vote; a formal tally was not specified on the record.
Next steps: the planning department will request a council appropriation to authorize spending from the unsafe-structure fund before any money is disbursed.
