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Big Spring council orders multiple abatements, grants 90-day demolition extension
Summary
The City Council held public hearings on nuisance properties, ordering abatements at two addresses, issuing a 90-day preliminary abatement order for one owner to finish demolition, and finding another property already abated. Votes were taken by voice and several measures passed unanimously; one extension passed 6–1.
The Big Spring City Council heard public hearings on multiple alleged public nuisances during its October 2024 meeting and took formal action on several properties.
City staff described serious structural deterioration at 502 Northwest 10 and recommended abatement after finding the roof caving in and decking failing. Council voted to order the abatement; the motion was made and seconded and carried by voice vote.
At 706 North Goliad, the property owner told the council that they had intended to demolish the structure rather than repair it and that family illness delayed work: “We never asked to repair it. I was gonna tear it down,” an owner said while asking for more time. Staff said prior inspections showed little progress; the council entered a preliminary abatement order but voted to give the owners 90 days to complete demolition before the city proceeds. The council recorded the vote as passing 6 to 1.
One item, 508 South San Antonio (North), was reported by staff as already abated — the accessory structure and debris were removed — so no action was required. For 708 Ohio, staff recommended abating a hazardous attached carport (broken joists and partially caved-in roof). Council amended a motion to limit the abatement to the carport (not the main structure), approved the amendment and then approved the main motion to abate the carport by voice vote.
Council also opened a hearing on 805 East Eighteenth but, at staff request to obtain a search warrant to assess the structure gutted by fire, voted to postpone consideration until the next meeting (scheduled for November 8).
The abatement actions were handled as preliminary orders in most cases; council members and staff clarified that preliminary orders will become final if not appealed. No statutory citations or ordinance numbers were provided in the hearing record.
Next steps: staff were directed to prepare abatement orders where required and bring them for the mayor's signature as appropriate; appeal timelines were referenced generally as part of the standard abatement process.
