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Rawlins council approves demolition of derelict property at 440 West Davis
Summary
The Rawlins City Council voted to accept a contractor bid to demolish a dangerous structure at 440 West Davis, authorize placing a lien to recover costs, and use the city's dangerous-building fund to pay initial expenses.
The Rawlins City Council voted to accept a contractor bid not to exceed $12,000 to demolish the derelict house at 440 West Davis and directed staff to document costs and place a lien on the property to recover expenses.
Community Development Director Lou told the council the property poses a serious safety risk and meets many elements of the city’s dangerous-building code. "We hit 15 of them," Lou said, describing collapsed roof sections, a partially destroyed garage and debris threatening neighboring yards. Lou said the estate of the last owner is deceased and that state and county liens already exist on the parcel.
City Attorney Mayberry urged council to document abatement costs and to authorize a lien: "Direct staff to take appropriate measures to document cost and place a lien on the property," she said. Councilman Senior moved to accept the demolition bid and to proceed; the motion passed with six yeas in the online/roll vote.
Officials said the $12,000 contractor price does not include landfill weight fees and that the city will record the actual disposal costs against the property. Staff identified the dangerous-building fund as the source for the initial payment and said proceeds from earlier scrap sales of a separate property (the Lawrence property) provided roughly $15,300 that will be used to cover the cost until recovery proceeds are collected.
Lou told council the Department of Health holds a significant lien (reported in discussion as about $97,796) on the estate and county records show assessed land and improvement values; staff acknowledged that full recovery from sale or tax certificates is uncertain, but emphasized abatement was needed now to mitigate hazards to children and neighbors.
Council directed staff to move forward with the demolition contract and to return any necessary formal authorizations at the next meeting after staff documents final costs and files a lien. The action followed city procedures for dangerous-building abatement and was supported by the city attorney's office.
