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Center Point council adopts vacant-property registration with escalating fees and insurance requirement
Summary
The council approved Resolution 2026-58 to require vacant-property registration under Chapter 167, adopting a fee schedule that begins at $200 and doubles annually and requires insured properties; the measure passed on a 5-0 roll call.
The Center Point City Council on July 28 approved Resolution 2026-58, establishing a vacant-property registration program under Chapter 167 of the Center Point Code of Ordinances.
Council Member Melissa McLaughlin said she preferred a $100 annual fee and adding a municipal-infraction penalty for failure to register; "McLaughlin’s opinion is $100 a year and add municipal infraction for failure of registration," the minutes record. Council Member Nathan Schnell said he supported a more aggressive penalty structure and proposed a doubling fee schedule starting at $200 and a requirement that vacant properties be insured. The council adopted the doubling schedule with the insurance requirement and approved the resolution on a voice and roll-call vote (Aye: John Stuelke, Mike LeClere, Nathan Schnell, Melissa McLaughlin, Alicia Thomas).
Why it matters: the registration is designed to create a funding and enforcement mechanism to deter long-term vacancies and cover costs associated with maintenance and code enforcement. The council recorded the roll call for the motion carried by M/S Stuelke/McLaughlin and the ordinance specifics will be implemented by city staff under Chapter 167. The minutes do not specify effective date or fee-exemption criteria; those details were not specified in the transcript.
