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Commission reduces administrative fees for three tax-sale properties after owner requests abatement
Summary
The commission agreed to reduce special-assessment nuisance fees: the owner of three tax-sale properties will pay the hard mowing cost plus half of the administrative fees for 714 Kiowa, 1017 Osage and 403 Olive; commissioners emphasized recovering hard costs while encouraging property rehabilitation.
The Leavenworth City Commission voted to reduce special-assessment nuisance fees for three properties (714 Kiowa, 1017 Osage and 403 Olive) purchased at county tax sale, requiring the current owner to pay the hard mowing costs and half of the administrative fees.
Staff explained the properties required multiple code-enforcement mowings in 2024–2025, that liens and special assessments run with the land, and that past practice sometimes reduced assessments to actual mowing costs plus a $100 administrative fee. The current owner requested abatement arguing he acquired the properties at tax sale and was not the violating owner.
Commission discussion centered on fairness, precedent and whether the owner had begun repairs or pulled permits. One commissioner said the city should “cover the cost that we've incurred” while another supported reducing fees to encourage property cleanup. The adopted motion reduced the administrative portion of the assessment by 50% while requiring the owner to pay the contractor’s mowing costs in full.
Staff noted assessments reflect administrative fees established by ordinance plus mowing cost; lien and foreclosure timing can create gaps in recorded assessments versus tax-sale timing. The commission directed staff to implement the reduction and noted they will evaluate property condition and compliance if the owner pursues permits or rehabilitation.
