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Council declares four vacant houses dilapidated; orders repair or demolition under minimum-housing code
Summary
After code-enforcement hearings and inspections, Monroe City Council declared multiple vacant houses unfit for human habitation and ordered repair or demolition; staff cited repair estimates exceeding 50% of assessed structure values as the statutory trigger.
Monroe City Council on July 8 adopted minimum-housing ordinances declaring several vacant houses unfit for human habitation and ordering them repaired or demolished.
Lisa Steinwinder, director of planning and development, presented three separate minimum-housing petitions: 601 South College Street (vacant since 1999), 3613 U.S. Highway 74 (vacant since 2006), and two houses at 3701 and 3705 U.S. Highway 74 (vacant since 2013 and 2019). Inspections documented missing foundation sections, failing roofs, missing utilities (wiring, plumbing, heat), missing walls and ceilings, and trash and debris inside the structures. For 601 South College Street staff reported a contractor estimate to repair the house at $88,724 against a tax-assessed structure value of $70,200; for 3613 Highway 74 staff reported a repair estimate of $74,664 vs. structure value $22,800; the combined estimate for 3701/3705 Highway 74 was $143,463 vs. combined tax value $17,700.
Under the city’s minimum-housing ordinance and the state statute cited by staff, repairs costing greater than 50 percent of the structure value qualify a dwelling to be declared dilapidated and unfit for habitation; staff recommended demolition ordinances based on that threshold and the property conditions. Code-enforcement hearings had been held earlier in March 2025 (or March 2023 for the College Street case); notices were mailed and posted. Burrell Raper, owner of 601 South College Street, spoke during the hearing and told council he bought the house in 1998 and intends to demolish it.
Council voted to adopt the ordinances. Staff said a lien will be placed on any property if the city undertakes demolition work. Several council members acknowledged the owner’s past work on downtown properties and the local history involved with some sites.
The ordinances require staff follow-up for compliance monitoring and potential enforcement; planning/code-enforcement staff will return to council as required if repairs are not completed by the ordered deadlines.
