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Batesville council adopts condemnation resolutions for nine properties after public hearing
Summary
After a public hearing, the Batesville City Council on Nov. 1 adopted individual condemnation resolutions for nine properties, giving owners time to abate but authorizing demolition if owners do not make timely repairs.
Batesville’s City Council adopted nine separate resolutions condemning vacant or blighted structures after a public hearing on Nov. 1.
Code enforcement officer Chad McClure opened the hearing and read the city’s condemnation ordinance, saying in part, “the existence of nuisance…is hereby declared to be unlawful,” and explained the resolution is the first formal step that still allows owners time to correct violations before the city proceeds with demolition.
The hearing covered nine addresses the council later condemned: 467 River Street, 441 River Street, 577 B Street, 715 North Central Avenue, 1065 East Boswell Street, 250 Hawkins Street, 2230 N Street, 1465 Edith Street and 431 River Street. Several owners addressed the council during the hearing and described their plans and timelines for repair or sale.
Property owner Bill Sanders, who said he recently assumed responsibility for multiple River Street addresses, told the council he has begun cleanup and expects to move properties into a family trust and either renovate or demolish them by year-end. “I should be legally responsible for all this by the end of the year,” Sanders said.
Other owners offered progress reports or requested time. The owner of 1065 East Boswell (Miss King) said she is preparing to list the property for sale and that contractors had discussed a 45–60 day cleanup window; Chad McClure said the ordinance does not set a single mandatory timeline and that the city will consider immediate public-safety risk when setting deadlines.
Council members read each resolution by title and voted to adopt them individually. Council and staff said the condemnation process is intended to give owners an opportunity to abate conditions; if owners do not act, the city may remove structures and place a lien for removal costs on the property.
What’s next: owners who receive a condemnation resolution will be given a timeframe that the city determines based on safety risk and progress; the city retains discretion to proceed with demolition if properties are judged an imminent hazard or if owners do not make sufficient progress.
The council closed the hearing at 6:32 p.m. and immediately proceeded to read and adopt the resolutions.
