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El Centro council approves special assessment to recover costs for abating 27-acre fire hazard property
Summary
After an extended public hearing, the city council adopted a resolution confirming roughly $20,000 in summary abatement costs for a 27-acre parcel west of Haskell Road and authorized placing the amount as a special assessment on the property tax roll; the owner was told of a 60-day appeal right.
The El Centro City Council on Tuesday voted 5-0 to confirm the city’s costs for a summary abatement of a 27-acre parcel on the city’s west side and to place the amount as a special assessment on the property’s tax bill.
City Community Development Director Angel Hernandez told the council the site — west of Haskell Road between the extensions of Orange Avenue and Hamilton — had become “a fire hazard” with extensive dry vegetation, and staff used a summary abatement process when inspections found the site posed an immediate threat to neighboring homes. He said the city contracted Imperial Valley Scrapmasters to clear vegetation and create a 100-foot firebreak adjacent to homes.
The action matters because the resolution applies the city’s cost-recovery procedure so the public does not bear abatement costs for private property. Hernandez said the work began the week of Feb. 23 after staff mailed notice on Feb. 13 and that the ordinance authority for cost recovery is in chapter 18 of the city code.
At the hearing, Ethan Williams spoke on behalf of his father, Robert Williams, the property owner, saying the nearly $20,000 abatement bill would be a “huge hit” on the owner’s fixed retirement income and asking for more time to find legal counsel. A city attorney and other council members described the available remedies, including a 60‑day statutory right to seek judicial review if the resolution is adopted; the city also noted the alternative collection method of recording a lien that would be paid when the property is sold.
Council members stressed the city had issued earlier citations and attempted standard enforcement before using emergency abatement powers. After public comment and discussion about whether staff used the proper abatement division, the council moved to adopt the resolution confirming costs and authorizing staff to record a special assessment on the tax roll. The City Clerk recorded the vote as 5-0.
The council agenda packet lists the site as roughly 27 acres; Hernandez said staff began citations in July of the prior year, the last citation issued in January, and that the vegetation and dumped material made the parcel a risk during seasonal high winds. The resolution authorizes assessment collection as described in the city code; appeal and legal remedies cited during the hearing remain available to the property owner.
