LAHARPE — City cleanup efforts led to a series of extended discussions Wednesday about appropriate ways to tackle nuisance properties in town.
The LaHarpe City Council’s regular monthly meeting had barely begun when the Council was approached by four residents who have received notices for nuisance violations.
The residents were given 10 days to clean their properties or be cited to appear in LaHarpe Municipal Court.
All four asked for extensions of varying length, citing everything from a newborn baby and disabled parents to a wet summer that has contributed to lush lawns.
While sympathetic to their plight, Councilman David Lee noted that by giving an extension to one or two would mean the city would be forced to give extensions to everybody.
“What’s good for the goose is good for the gander,” he said.
City Attorney Chuck Apt noted the Council has a special meeting scheduled for Aug. 29. He suggested — and the Council agreed — to have those four residents return then for review.
“That should be plenty of time” to get those properties cleared, Apt said.
Even then, if a citation is issued, the cases likely won’t go to court before October, Apt continued.
In past instances, charges are dropped if a property has been cleared by the designated court date.
THE CITY also has a policy to recruit folks to clean up others’ properties.
If a property owner has been given sufficient notice, and no cleanup efforts occurred, a lottery-style system will be set up to allow a third party to do the cleanup effort.
In that case, the person doing the work would have all salvage rights to the objects being removed as their compensation.
The city also would assess an administrative fee against the property owner, Crowell said.
The person doing the cleanup would be forbidden from entering barns or houses. “That’s called burglary,” Apt said.
In response to queries from Council and audience members, Crowell said the property owners would be given sufficient notice.
