Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Serving O'Brien & Clay Counties
Hartley council mulls ways to improve outcomes for nuisance properties
A crew removes a nuisance property at 255 W Maple Drive in Hartley in June of 2017. The city council is trying to figure out better methods of enforcing its nuisance ordinances.
An old issue reared its head last month inside Hartley City Council Chambers.
Members on April 15 mulled ways to improve enforcement of nuisance ordinances. The city currently utilizes the services of Northwest Iowa Planning and Development Commission (NIPDC), which was hired several years ago to assess problematic residences, send abatement notices and attempt to mitigate the violations.
According to discussion, city officials have been disappointed in NIPDC's efforts, noting an alleged lack of follow-up enforcement once letters are sent to property owners in recent years.
"There's no follow-through," said Council Member Mary Westphalen. "One property in particular I've looked at looks the same or worse. We're not gaining a thing."
City Administrator Roxann Swanson said City Attorney Brandon Krikke has been developing form letters for other communities that are sent to nuisance ordinance violators. She suggested the city re-evaluate its options and improve long-term monitoring of problematic properties.
"We have no way of tracking progress right now," she said. "The same property we've had issues with for three years, where's it at right now? It's something to brainstorm."
Though finding ordinance violations won't be difficult, Council Member Nick Galm asked about enforcement if the city eventually opts to end its agreement with NIPDC. The council in past years has said it does not want the police department expending resources and time on nuisance abatement.
"You have to have somebody that's going to go out and look at these properties, and we can't put that on [the police department]," Galm said. "I'm all for doing it and I think it needs to be done, I just don't know what that looks like."
Westphalen said the council needs to continue to develop a better plan for nuisance abatement now that warmer weather has arrived. City officials will contact other municipalities in the area to find out how they handle problematic properties.
"Every town is dealing with the same kind of issues," said Westphalen.
