(Audubon) The City of Audubon is making a push to clean up abandoned properties.
During Monday’s city council meeting, zoning and building inspector Steve Stetzel discussed ten properties owned by one individual. “He’s a landlord and all ten are in situations where they are not up to code. There was discussion about how to move forward with it. The council voted to instruct Steve Stetzel to start notifying these people that they are not habitable anymore and start the condemnation process.”
According to City Clerk Joe Foran the city wants to crack down on these properties. “They usually have 30-90 days to bring it up to code. They can’t live there it it’s condemned. The state code says after it is abandoned for so long then the city can get a petition to gain ownership of it. Most likely what the city will do is just demolish the building and sell the lots to neighbors or if it’s a buildable lot possibly somebody might want to purchase it and build a new home on that land.”
Foran hopes this message is heard loud and clear. “Basically citizens need to realize that if you’re a property owner in town and your property is not up to code the city is going to be contacting you and working with you to figure out what to do next.”
The Council on Monday also sold a vacant lot for $350 and approved a zoning change for the Gleason Second Subdivision from R-3 to R-4, which is multi-family.
