Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Code Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sigourney council reviews code-enforcement steps for fire-damaged house after owner does not respond
Summary
Council heard that a partially burned house owned by Rhonda Huffman remains unaddressed after two letters; the Code Enforcement Officer outlined a process (certified notice, five-business-day hearing window, 90 days to remedy, then sealed bids for demolition and assessment of costs) if the owner does not act.
Council member Clark told the Sigourney City Council Aug. 21 that a house owned by Rhonda Huffman partially burned in May of the prior year and remains uninhabitable, prompting repeated neighborhood complaints.
Doug Glandon, the City's Code Enforcement Officer, said he has sent two letters to Huffman asking her to meet and discuss remediation plans; he reported she has not responded. Glandon outlined the procedural steps required under the City Code of Ordinances: the City must send a certified notice identifying the specific code violations and the corrective steps desired; the recipient has five business days after receiving the certified letter to request a hearing with Code Enforcement; corrective action must begin within 48 hours after receipt and be completed within 90 days; if the owner fails to take action after that period, the City may solicit sealed bids from contractors to demolish the building and may assess demolition costs to the owner's property taxes if the owner does not pay.
At the Aug. 21 meeting council members were informed this is an information item and that, if the 95-day notice/hearing period elapses with no contact, the matter would return to the council for a decision about demolition and cost assessment. The minutes do not record a council directive beyond the explanation of the ordinance-driven process and timeline.
