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Harington staff report 58 hazardous structures, commissioners favor targeting small buildings first
Summary
City code staff reported 58 structures listed as dangerous or hazardous (25 dwellings, four commercial buildings, 34 garages/sheds, two carports) and commissioners discussed prioritizing many small sheds/garages this year rather than a few very costly house removals.
City code-enforcement staff told the commission that May inspections found two condemned structures and 58 total structures listed as dangerous or hazardous: 25 private dwellings, four commercial buildings, 34 garages or sheds and two carports. Staff said they completed 39 grass-violation contacts in May and are overwhelmed in peak grass season.
The speaker described the process used to prioritize removals — sorting structures by safety risk and ease of abatement — and said two yards remain under court action. Staff told commissioners they are tracking owner contact information and categorizing structures (unsafe, collapsing, roof holes) to decide removal order.
Commissioners debated whether to focus on removing many small sheds and garages to improve the town’s visual appearance, or to concentrate on a few houses that would be substantially more expensive to demolish and fill. Several commissioners favored prioritizing smaller buildings this year to achieve visible progress.
The transcript includes staff descriptions of enforcement workload and legal posting requirements (sign tampering is a class C misdemeanor under the city notice) and a request that residents communicate if they cannot maintain their property. No ordinance changes or removal votes were recorded in the transcript; the discussion centered on priorities and logistics.
