Council members press for code enforcement at old hospital site, propose special session on police agreement

At the Brookhaven meeting, members raised persistent code‑enforcement concerns about an old hospital property at the corner of Congress and North Jackson Street and adjacent apartments, and discussed steps to follow up with property owners and pursue funding options.

A committee member said they would “get a letter to the hospital” and follow up on apartments that had been sold and were not being maintained. The member noted that the federal government had previously responded quickly on a related matter and said the city is on a list for potential grant funding; they suggested staff pursue grant opportunities that might help address the properties.

The committee member also recommended scheduling a special session to resolve a police department agreement that “needs to go through an agreement process” outside the normal meeting cadence; they said the matter should not take long but would be better handled separately. Members discussed permitting measurement questions and compliance with statutory distance requirements, with the committee member advising that the fire chief or police chief be assigned to take digital measurements and that staff be provided copies of the relevant statute to ensure consistent checks.

The transcript captures discussion and commitments to follow up but does not record final enforcement actions, a formal timetable for letters or grant applications, nor a vote on calling a special session.