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Jackson City weighs rental-property bonds and owner affidavits to tackle squatting in vacant buildings
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Summary
The CAO proposed an ordinance to require rental-property bonds to cover demolition and cleanup costs, while the deputy city attorney said only owners or their agents can file the affidavit that allows law enforcement to remove squatters; staff also flagged coordination needs with JPD and the Secretary of State.
Jackson City officials debated a mix of legal and administrative tools on March 4 to respond to squatting and damage in vacant residential and commercial buildings. Peter Tavison, the city's chief administrative officer, said the administration will bring a proposal in April that could require rental-property owners to post a bond of roughly "$10 or $15,000 per single-family residence," with larger bonds for sizable apartment complexes, to secure funds for demolition and cleanup when owners abandon properties.
Deputy City Attorney Megan Bennett told the committee that the city can pass a local ordinance on squatting but cautioned that duplicating state law may be unnecessary. She emphasized a current procedural limit: "only the owner of a property or their agent can file an affidavit to remove a squatter," and until an affidavit is filed "there is nothing any law enforcement department can do to remove squatters." Bennett said the affidavit form should be standardized and that she would check whether state law requires notarization.
Members sought easier owner access to the affidavit: one suggestion was an "affidavit" button on the city website and clerk-notarization for filings. Staff noted that for out-of-state commercial owners the city may contact a registered agent listed with the Mississippi Secretary of State, but locating a registered agent requires knowing the company name. Bennett said some LLCs may not be required to have a registered agent, and the city could explore legislative fixes.
Tavison and other members also raised practical issues: high numbers of building fires this year (staff cited about 115 fires since Jan. 1) and the difficulty of finding owners or lien holders for commercial properties, exemplified by the large, vacant Virginia College building. The CAO described the proposed bond as neither a silver bullet nor intended to cover the cost of major commercial demolitions in full, but as a tool to hold owners more accountable.
Committee members expressed support for both near-term administrative steps (website access, standardized affidavit, clerk notarization) and for the CAO's ordinance idea; Bennett said legal staff will draft forms and research notarization and enforcement questions.
