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Madison denies nuisance-appeal for 1039 West Center Street; staff to set cleanup timeline
Summary
After extended testimony from property owner Marvin Parkinson and code-enforcement evidence showing repeated notices since 2022, the commission denied the appeal of a notice to abate nuisance at 1039 West Center Street and directed staff to set a clear compliance deadline and next steps for abatement if the owner does not comply.
The City of Madison Commission on July 15 denied an appeal from the owner of 1039 West Center Street and upheld a notice to abate nuisance after staff described repeated violations and the property owner gave extended testimony defending his actions.
Jameson and Gary, city staff, told the commission the nuisance process began roughly in 2022, with multiple letters and a most recent hand-delivered notice on May 3. Gary, the city’s code enforcement officer, summarized inspections and cited portions of the city’s property-maintenance and nuisance ordinances, saying the property resembled “a junk or salvage yard,” which is not allowed in a residential district.
The property owner, identified in the record as Marvin Parkinson, said he has been working to clean the property, that he sells salvaged materials for income while living on disability, and that some city cleanup pickups failed to collect materials in past citywide operations. Parkinson also alleged confrontations with enforcement staff: “he’s threatened me more than once with threatening to like have me arrested,” he said during his testimony.
Commissioners reviewed photographic evidence and GIS records showing accumulation over time. During deliberations, commissioners repeatedly said they preferred the owner conduct the cleanup rather than the city undertake abatement and incur costs, but they also agreed the city must apply its adopted code uniformly. One commissioner proposed an Oct. 1 compliance date; staff replied they would give the owner a reasonable, uniform deadline and that the engineering department would communicate the timeline.
Mayor Roy Lindsay moved to deny the appeal of the notice to abate nuisance for 1039 West Center Street; the motion was seconded and the commission voted in favor. Following the vote the commission directed staff to issue a clear compliance schedule and said the city could proceed with abatement if the owner failed to meet the deadline.
The commission did not record a detailed, itemized cleanup plan at the meeting; staff said they would follow up with a timeline and step-by-step expectations for the property owner.
