Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Code Enforcement And Housing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council declares 50 structures unsafe; some owners granted time to enroll in work program
Summary
Following a public hearing the Beaumont City Council declared 50 structures unsafe and authorized demolition if owners do not abate conditions within 10 days; the council allowed several owners the option to enter a city work program if delinquent taxes are addressed.
After a public hearing on Oct. 14, the Beaumont City Council declared 50 structures across the city to be unsafe and ordered property owners to abate the conditions within 10 days. If owners fail to comply, staff was authorized to arrange demolition without further council action, the city said.
Several property owners and representatives spoke at the hearing asking for additional time or entry into the city's work program. Speakers included volunteers and owners describing plans to repair or sell structures: Travis and Jan McCall spoke for a small family church on Concord Road; Mark Bounds described near-complete repairs at a commercial property on El Paso; and other residents asked for time to finish repairs or to enroll in a work program.
Council amended the proposed ordinance in committee discussion to allow seven specific properties to enter the post-council work program provided owners either pay delinquent property taxes in full or enter into an approved payment plan within 10 days. The properties named during the hearing and included under the council's amendment were those listed at agenda numbers 10, 12, 17, 27, 29, 31 and 47 (as read in the meeting packet). City staff said owners admitted to owing taxes on some properties and described payment thresholds in the record (examples cited: taxes of about $30,000 on one parcel and about $40,000 on another) and said tax resolution is a precondition for work-program enrollment.
City demolition and code staff said the work program requires documentation of ownership, agreement to a schedule (90 days to "dry in" a dwelling and 150 days to complete repairs) and either full tax payment or a formal county payment arrangement before the program begins. Staff told council that demolition of commercial properties carries a cost-recovery charge to the property owner; for residential demolitions the city historically has performed abatement without taking property ownership.
The council approved the ordinance with the amendment allowing specified owners the opportunity to enroll in the work program. If owners do not comply within the established timeframes, staff will proceed with abatement and demolition as permitted by city code and will seek cost recovery where applicable.
