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Council adopts amendment to condemnation and demolition rules after public questions on process
Summary
City counsel introduced and the council approved changes to the code of ordinances on condemnation and demolition; public commenters pressed officials on how the city handles demolition lists, liens and involvement by nonprofits or private investors.
The Hammond City Council approved introduction of an ordinance to amend the city’s code of ordinances on condemnation and demolition and voted to move the measure forward after public discussion about how the demolition process works in practice.
City counsel Andre Kudrin told the council he had met with building-department staff and other stakeholders and that the ordinance primarily moves some provisions of state law into the city code and removes an outdated demolition-code reference. “We think this will make it at least easier, cleaner, [and] more efficient for our building department folks to move forward on demolition,” Kudrin said during the introduction.
During the public hearing, residents and local organizations asked several operational questions: whether the city provides financial assistance to remove debris and pay landfill fees when properties are demolished, whether the city places liens on properties when it performs demolition, and how nonprofits or private investors can access lists of properties the city has identified as demolition candidates.
City staff and counsel explained the ordinary sequence: the building official inspects a property and issues a report; the report is forwarded to the council president and the council, property owners are given notice before the council considers demolition, and if the city undertakes demolition it typically sends a bill to the property owner and may place a lien to recover costs. Staff said the city generally tries to work with property owners and will share information on a list of properties being considered for demolition; that list is available on the city’s website but may not always be up to date.
Resident Stanley Campbell asked whether local nonprofits or investors could be notified so they could negotiate to rehabilitate or buy properties before demolition. City staff said the department can share owner contact information and that the city can provide a list of properties being considered; staff recommended that interested investors contact the building department to pursue negotiations directly with owners.
Staff also described a shift in the technical standard the building department will use to identify demolition candidates: rather than the older percentage-based calculation that was described as confusing, inspectors will rely on structural-integrity criteria drawn from the UDC and the International Building Code to determine whether a building is unsafe and should be demolished.
Council members voted to approve introduction of the ordinance; the vote as recorded at the meeting was unanimous.
Next steps: staff said the ordinance language will move forward through the city process, and building‑department staff will continue outreach to stakeholders and to property owners on the demolition list. The council directed staff to share the demolition list and to work with residents and potential nonprofit partners to try to preserve properties where feasible.
