By Anton Riecher
Action to tighten restrictions against buildings and other unkept properties by imposing liens against the owners was discussed during the Nov. 18 Devine City Council regular meeting.
Mayor Butch Cook said the city is trying “super, super hard” to clean up areas of the city in need of attention.
“We have a few very egregious properties in our town that have been that way for a long time,” Cook said. “Some of them are owned by people who don’t live here so they couldn’t care less about the appearance of that property.”
Despite being repeatedly notified and cited about the condition of their property, the problem continues to persist, Cook said.
He proposed moving forward with enforcement of an ordinance on the city books since 2021 that permits placing liens on the offending property as a means to bill the owners for clean up if and when the property ever sells.
Cook admitted that the major drawback to the proposal is the owners can still continue to ignore demands for immediate upkeep on their property regardless of legal action. However, the time has come for taking action that “has some teeth in it.”
District 3 Alderman Jeff Miller agreed with taking stronger action, noting that aside from concerns for public safety, the failure to maintain these properties could potentially depress local property values.
“At some point the safety and protection of everybody else becomes the most important issue,” Miller said.
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