Bossier City council orders junk removal, sets short compliance windows in multiple blight hearings

Bossier City’s Administrative Council on Nov. 4 ordered the removal of accumulated junk from several properties across the city and set short deadlines for owners to clean up or face city removal and liens.

Property standards inspectors described hazardous conditions at multiple addresses, citing inoperable recreational vehicles, broken glass, dismantled equipment and piles of debris that neighbors said lowered nearby property values and posed safety risks. Craig Chapman, property standards, told the council that the inspection at 3001 Shiloh Lane showed “an excessive accumulation of junk and debris that constitutes a public nuisance.” The council voted to declare the items junk and suspended removal for two weeks so the owner could attempt cleanup; the city will remove the items and bill the property if the deadline is missed.

At 4611 Sullivan Street, inspectors reported a significant accumulation of junk and a house that has been damaged by fire and is not habitable. Mona Smith, an heir and executor for the property, said family members and volunteers have begun hauling items but acknowledged limited funds and a household member with hoarding behavior. A neighbor, Carolyn Ivy, said volunteers have “knocked a dent” into the pile but estimated the full cleanup could take months. The council nevertheless set a three‑week compliance window for removal of exterior junk before the city takes enforcement action.

The council moved and approved similar short suspensions and directives for other repeat cases: 1228 Waller Avenue (abandoned camper and yard debris), 134 Bobby Street (outsanding side and backyard debris) and two adjacent properties at 4075 and 4085 Maple Street owned by the same party. In each case property standards recommended declaring accumulated materials junk and the council suspended removal for a roughly three‑week period to allow owners to act before the city’s contractor would remove items and assess costs to the property.

Several hearings also addressed burned or structurally unsound houses. The council ordered the condemnation and demolition of 4807 Orchard Street “as early as legally possible” after property standards documented severe fire damage. For properties with potential buyers or heirs seeking to take title and rehabilitate, the council offered continuances: the Hoyer Street property (owner deceased, descendants present) and 2638 Barber Street were continued to the council’s Dec. 2 meeting so title transfer or permit pulls could be completed and work begun.

Throughout the session, inspectors emphasized safety and neighborhood impacts. Philip Coleman, property standards, said the Sullivan Street yard presented a “considerable amount of junk” and described the risks of broken glass and scattered parts to children and neighbors. Council votes were voice votes; motions to declare junk, continue hearings, or condemn structures were approved by the council with no recorded roll‑call tallies given in the transcript.

Next steps include follow‑up inspections on the short deadlines, removal and lien assessment by the city for properties that do not comply, and a Dec. 2 review for properties granted continuances or for which title transfer and permits were expected to be under way.