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Marysville resident urges the city to enforce property codes, citing blight and tax inequity
Summary
Resident Cindy Holly told the council that neighboring properties on Spring Street have long-standing blight — unmaintained roofs, stacked debris, an untagged camper and feral cats — and argued inconsistent tax treatment rewards neglect. Councilors and staff committed to inspect the addresses and discussed creating a code-enforcement position.
Cindy Holly, a Marysville resident who said she owns a property at 311 South Sixth Street, told the council that two adjacent houses on Spring Street have been in disrepair for decades and called on the city to act.
"They enclosure the front porch and it does hide the blight," Holly said, describing untagged campers, stacks of tires, collapsed skylights and holes in roofs that she says attract pests and depress nearby property values. She said repeated inspections and letters have produced little change and urged the city to require repairs or remove unsafe structures so infill housing will be more attractive.
The council acknowledged the complaint and asked staff to verify whether the cited properties appear on the city's enforcement list. City staff committed to inspect the addresses "this week" and to determine appropriate next steps, including whether condemnation proceedings or other legal tools are warranted.
Councilors also discussed creating a dedicated code-enforcement position. Staff said the council has considered funding an enforcement role temporarily from salary savings; the meeting included references to part-time compensation in the high teens per hour and a proposed full-time starting rate near $19.50 hourly, with benefits tied to a 30-hour threshold. Officials noted timing and seasonal training considerations, suggesting a spring hire could be more effective than a January start because warmer-weather violations are more common and provide training opportunities for a new hire.
The council did not adopt an immediate enforcement ordinance at the meeting. The administration said it would return with follow-up after the inspections and with a job description and budget detail if the council wishes to proceed with hiring.
