Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Code Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Northlake council updates dangerous-buildings ordinance, approves board process after debate
Summary
Council approved revisions to the town’s dangerous-buildings code to add a Building and Standards Commission, align procedures with state law and restore a 30-day notice and fire-marshall inspection authority; the measure passed 4–2 after council changes.
The NorthlakeTown Council voted to revise its dangerous-buildings ordinance, adopting a process that installs a Building and Standards Commission (to be served by the Board of Adjustments) and adds statutory references to align enforcement with state law. The council approved the changes with amendments to restore a 30-day notice provision and give the fire marshal authority to participate in inspections.
Nathan, the planning staff member who briefed the council, said the revisions update Article 4.04 of the Code of Ordinances to make the ordinance more usable as a local enforcement tool for unpermitted or substandard structures. "This ordinance is to update our dangerous building regulations," he said, explaining the measure provides an administrative path in addition to municipal-court and district-court remedies.
Dane, who described available remedies under state law, told the council the local process would let the town use a resident board to resolve issues without immediately pursuing district-court litigation. "Without the building and standards commission, the remedy would have been to go to municipal court for criminal violation or district court on the civil side," Dane said, noting the ordinance adds state statutory citations into the town code.
Council discussion centered on procedural protections and timing. One councilmember pressed for restoring the 30-day cure period; another sought explicit authority for the fire marshal to participate in inspection duties. A motion to approve the ordinance with those changes was made, seconded and carried 4–2.
The council public record shows the ordinance had been on the books in various forms since at least 1999; staff said it had rarely been used but that recent situations demonstrated the need for clearer, usable tools. The council asked staff to implement the amended language and proceed with the local administrative steps described in the ordinance.
