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Council issues abatement warrants after residents report severe property hazards
Summary
After public complaints about piles of garbage, needles and vermin, the Electric City Council voted to issue warrants of abatement on two chronic nuisance properties; city staff said abatement could take about 30–45 days after warrants are issued.
Mayor Pro Tem Robbin Boyce reopened the meeting after an executive session and the council voted to issue warrants of abatement on two chronic nuisance properties within Electric City city limits.
Residents had used the public-comment period to press the council for action. "I can smell human waste and can see drug and alcohol garbage," said John Beck of 111 Grand Ave W, describing a neighboring property he said had piled trash up to the roof and attracted animals. John Avey of 106 4th Street urged the city to invoke RCW 15.12.120 to condemn the site, and Steven Jewell of 108 5th Street said rats from 105 4th Street were running onto his property.
Property owner Vernon Bird acknowledged ownership of the address named by residents and said his son lives there; Bird asked the council to cancel a fine and said he is in the process of selling the property to a relative who will clean it up. Clerk Tasha Enochs told the council she and the city attorney had completed paperwork so warrants could be issued, but that there would still be approximately 30–45 days before an abatement could be executed.
The motion to issue warrants passed by consensus (M/S Blake Martin/Don Redfield). The council's action is a civil enforcement step; the record notes the statutory reference requested by a commenter (RCW 15.12.120) but does not record a legal finding or condemnation at this meeting. Next steps documented by staff are issuance of the warrants and timeline coordination for abatement work.
