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Board refers draft vacant-building ordinance to planning and development committee
Summary
After a wide-ranging debate about goals, owner notification and enforcement, the board voted by voice to send a draft vacant-building ordinance to the planning and development committee for review and legal analysis; commissioners emphasized a warning phase and outreach to property owners before penalties.
The Oxford City Board of Commissioners discussed a draft vacant-building ordinance intended to reduce long-term vacant and dilapidated properties in the city’s commercial areas. The mayor and multiple commissioners described empty buildings that have sat unused for years, cited public-safety and aesthetic concerns, and said the goal is to encourage reuse rather than to punish owners.
Discussion centered on what the ordinance should require and how it should be enforced. Commissioners asked whether owners would be penalized and whether a warning period and property-owner outreach should precede any fines. One commissioner urged courtesy and direct contact with long-time property owners before formal penalties, while another stressed that code-enforcement typically issues notices and time limits before fines.
After questions and requests to send the draft to staff and city attorney for review, Speaker 6 moved to send the ordinance to the planning and development committee for review; Speaker 8 seconded. The board approved the referral by voice vote; the mayor declared "motion carries." The board asked staff to contact property owners and to proceed through the committee process and public hearings as required.
No ordinance was adopted at the meeting. Commissioners said two draft ordinance forms — a stricter draft and a less strict draft — had been prepared and that legal review and committee vetting will determine next steps.
