Safer neighborhoods with fewer decrepit houses, as well as the eventual adoption of building codes allowing inspection of residences, are the goals of the Jefferson city council’s newly formed housing committee. City administrator Mike Palmer briefed the county board of supervisors and the city council Tuesday about the committee. Members of the committee are council members Lisa Jaskey and Gary Von Ahsen, with city code enforcement director Mike Wright and Palmer.
Palmer explained that the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) the city entered into with Region XII Council of Governments five or six years ago grew from the original $500,000 and an anticipated six or seven projects to a $1.1 million program that completed 22 projects. Those projects included the demolition of 15 dilapidated houses, several of which were on Lincoln Way.
Other homes were purchased by the city, rehabilitated, and then sold.
With the expiration of the NSP, the city created its own Neighborhood Incentive Program with $20,000 annual funding by the city. The incentive program provides funds for homeowners to repair homes, or up to $2,000 toward the demolition of a battered home. Palmer said that in some cases, a neighbor purchases an unsightly house and tears it down, improving the entire neighborhood.
Several of the houses the city demolished were on narrow lots that no longer meet the minimum requirement for a buildable lot. Tearing down two adjacent houses can make a spacious lot available for a new home. “With this sort of community redevelopment we have better homes. The community looks better and the tax base increases,” Palmer told the supervisors.
The city is also addressing abandoned properties, tackling the complex legal issues in taking possession of houses no one claims. “These houses turn into neighborhood eyesores and there are often safety issues. It can take years to work through the process to be able to do anything,” Palmer said.
In working with the NSP and the incentive program, a need for a building inspection program became obvious. Palmer showed photos of homes in the NSP in which ceilings werre caving in, electrical wiring was dangerously exposed, or there was mold in the basement. Some homes were cluttered to a point of being dangerous. “We don’t really have any teeth where we can go inside of a house and take a look,” he said. “We don’t have any authority to go in and check things out. We work with the health department some, but they don’t have any authority, either.”
The housing committee is researching residential housing inspection, not just rental inspection. The committee may recommend adoption of the Uniform Maintenance Code, a rather simple code that outlines reasonable expectations for both the interior and exterior of a house. If adopted, enforcement would be complaint driven.
Palmer said the city is working to obtain a $300,000 loan from Region XII to fund an expanded rehabilitation and/or demolition program. If approved, the city would pay no interest on the loan until properties are resold. He said the program could eventually become self-sustaining.
The housing committee meets the fourth Tuesday of the month at 4:30 pm, preceding the regular council meeting.
