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Resident asks council to waive $7,400 weed lien on Marlborough Place property tied to deceased owner
Summary
Kristen Singleton asked the council during public comment to consider reducing or waiving a $7,400 weed lien on 624 Marlborough Place, saying the property belonged to a deceased owner with no administered estate and that she is in the process of acquiring the property and will reinvest any relief granted.
Kristen Singleton asked the Rocky Mount City Council to consider a reduction or waiver of a weed-abatement lien assessed against 624 Marlborough Place, which she described as an abandoned home that depresses neighborhood property values.
Singleton said the former owner, Howard Pittford, died several years ago, and heirs who lived out of town were unaware of formal assets and lacked legal authority to address the property. She said the city performed weed-abatement activities between 2014 and 2025 and boarded the property earlier this year under Chapter 10 of the Code of Ordinances. Singleton said out-of-town heirs Stephanie Caldwell and Mary Gotlow were contacted by the city on May 14, 2025, to confirm ownership and outline accumulated fees.
Singleton told council the assessed weed lien is approximately $7,400 and that there are about $16,000 in back taxes and city attorney fees that she expects will be resolved at closing; she said she is in the process of acquiring and closing on the property and would reinvest any relief granted back into the home for tree removal and yard restoration, which she estimated would roughly equal the lien amount. She asked the council to consider establishing a formal review process for special circumstances involving deceased owners and unadministered estates.
The remarks were made during the public-comment period; no council action or vote on the request was recorded in the meeting transcript.
