Resident says demolition notice and invoice were mishandled; council pulls property from nuisance list

Joanie Robinson told the Pine Bluff City Council that her elderly mother received a notice dated June 2 requiring grass and weeds to be cut, but Robinson said the family did not receive the notice until Aug. 18 — after the house was demolished on Aug. 13 — and that the subsequent invoice sought $4,997.94 for demolition-related costs.

Robinson said the code-enforcement file she reviewed lacked the certified-mail green card and other affidavits she expected under the city’s procedures. "Our letter doesn't even say demolition," she told the council, and she asked that the specific address be removed from the nuisance list while the city produces the missing documentation.

Council members pressed staff for the certified-mail evidence and discussed whether the demolition charge had been appropriately documented. Council Member Fails said he had "received the document showing where it was sent by certified mail," but also acknowledged the photograph of the certified-mail envelope did not include all required date information. Members said the key discrepancy was that the notice was dated June 2 but apparently mailed and received in August, after the reported demolition.

To allow staff time to locate and present complete records, the council agreed to remove the property from tonight's list and asked code enforcement and the city attorney's office to gather and deliver the missing affidavits and receipts. Council members said the development-and-planning committee — chaired by Council Member Fails — will review the matter and return the item to the agenda only after documentation is complete.

The council did not take final action on the underlying nuisance charge tonight; rather, members voted to pull the item for further review and documentation. The committee and code-enforcement staff are expected to report back to the council with supporting records before the city pursues collection or a lien.