City to take another whack at vacant property ordinance

BY CHUCK VANDENBERG
PCC EDITOR

FORT MADISON - City officials are revisiting a vacant building ordinance that was proposed last year and was put on hold.

City Building Director Doug Krogmeier said Wednesday that the city will be holding another public hearing at Fort Madison Public Library on March 3 at 5:30 p.m. to discuss the ordinance with property owners.

The city met with some vocal opposition at a public hearing held in August because the ordinance establishes fees for buildings that sit vacant. The fees are based on the square footage of the buildings and are assessed after a grace period.

The ordinance takes a look at what a vacant property is, when it would have to be registered, and under what circumstances. A proposed fee schedule is also included in the proposal.

Krogmeier said the program was not to generate funds for the city, but to cover the cost of the program.

According to data from the city, there are currently more than 400 vacant properties in the city, including 50 properties that the city has tagged as needing demolished immediately, at a cost of close to $1 million.

Properties that are vacant more than 90 days would have to register with the city. Properties sold that sit vacant more than 30 days after purchase, or foreclosed properties would have to be registered with the city per the proposed ordinance.

Inspection logs would be required monthly by the owner of the property and annually by the city. City Police would be listed as an agent of the owner to respond to criminal trespass, and the owner would have to consent to emergency inspections and repairs.

Fees begin at structures with 576 square feet or more and are incremental based on the size of the building. Fees start at $10 per year and max out at $1,000 per year. Failure to comply penalties start at $50 per month and cap out at $1,000 per month.

Exemptions would be for structures with active building permits for six months, estates in probate, homes for sale, property occupied by individuals who winter in the south - snow birds, and homes with substantial damage for 90 days.

The city considered an adjustment last year to the ordinance that if property owners have insurance on the property, they wouldn’t have to pay the fees, but would still be required to register the property.

Under Iowa law, insurance companies have to hold back $20,000 on policies to cover city responsibility for cleaning up the property if it caught fire or was damaged and the ownership abandons the property.