Seligman makes first moves to beautify town
October 2, 2019
Vinnie Roberts
Recently, the city of Seligman has made the beautification of the town a top priority. At a city council meeting on Monday, September 9, Seligman city clerk Brian Nichols revealed that as part of that initiative, the city would be more strictly enforcing ordinances regarding dilapidated buildings within city limits.
According to Nichols, the city intends to begin with the buildings most in need of repair or removal first, before moving to address non-compliant buildings with less immediate issues in the future.
“I’d say that we’ve got over thirty that need to be addressed at the moment,” said Nichols. “We’re going to start at the top and work our day down.
“Our main problem is the buildings that are falling down,” Nichols continued. “Some of them have walls or ceilings falling in. The vast majority of them aren’t currently being lived in.”
Nichols went on to explain that this is part of an ongoing effort on the city’s part to clean up the town and make it more attractive to potential property buyers.
“We have a lot of property being sold or bought up in the area,” said Nichols. “It just seems like the right idea right now. We want to make this an attractive, safe place to live.”
In order to ensure structures such as these are either repaired or removed, Nichols has been sending out notices through the mail to the addresses of the property owners.
The first of the notices were mailed out on August 27. This wave of notifications included seven properties within city limits.
Nichols stated that soon enough, a second round of notices will be going out to property owners. He explained that this group of notices would include as many as 19 properties.
According to Nichols, the first of these structures was demolished by the owner on September 4. He also stated that communications between this party and the city helped the city acquire contact information from local contractors who would be willing to aid the city in their endeavors.
Once the owners have been mailed the notification, they have 30 days to begin either reconstruction or demolition efforts. Should the owner not respond within the time frame, Nichols explained that the city will step in and tear the structure down at cost and put a tax lien on the property to cover the costs.
“It’s not our intention to make people upset,” Nichols explained. “We’re not trying to be abusive and we’re definitely not trying to make money off of this.”
Nichols went on to explain that absorbing the costs for demolition would not be profitable for the city long-term, as the city would also have to absorb the upkeep costs and would only be able to recoup the costs over time. He continued, stating that city officials are willing to take those measures for the sake of improving the community.
The city has scheduled a special hearing ahead of this month’s city council meeting in order to inform the public of these matters. The special meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on October 14, with the regularly scheduled council meeting to take place immediately after, at 6 p.m.
For questions and additional information regarding city ordinances or beautification efforts, contact Seligman City Hall at (417) 662-3600.
Vinnie Roberts
Recently, the city of Seligman has made the beautification of the town a top priority. At a city council meeting on Monday, September 9, Seligman city clerk Brian Nichols revealed that as part of that initiative, the city would be more strictly enforcing ordinances regarding dilapidated buildings within city limits.
According to Nichols, the city intends to begin with the buildings most in need of repair or removal first, before moving to address non-compliant buildings with less immediate issues in the future.
“I’d say that we’ve got over thirty that need to be addressed at the moment,” said Nichols. “We’re going to start at the top and work our day down.
“Our main problem is the buildings that are falling down,” Nichols continued. “Some of them have walls or ceilings falling in. The vast majority of them aren’t currently being lived in.”
Nichols went on to explain that this is part of an ongoing effort on the city’s part to clean up the town and make it more attractive to potential property buyers.
“We have a lot of property being sold or bought up in the area,” said Nichols. “It just seems like the right idea right now. We want to make this an attractive, safe place to live.”
In order to ensure structures such as these are either repaired or removed, Nichols has been sending out notices through the mail to the addresses of the property owners.
The first of the notices were mailed out on August 27. This wave of notifications included seven properties within city limits.
Nichols stated that soon enough, a second round of notices will be going out to property owners. He explained that this group of notices would include as many as 19 properties.
According to Nichols, the first of these structures was demolished by the owner on September 4. He also stated that communications between this party and the city helped the city acquire contact information from local contractors who would be willing to aid the city in their endeavors.
Once the owners have been mailed the notification, they have 30 days to begin either reconstruction or demolition efforts. Should the owner not respond within the time frame, Nichols explained that the city will step in and tear the structure down at cost and put a tax lien on the property to cover the costs.
“It’s not our intention to make people upset,” Nichols explained. “We’re not trying to be abusive and we’re definitely not trying to make money off of this.”
Nichols went on to explain that absorbing the costs for demolition would not be profitable for the city long-term, as the city would also have to absorb the upkeep costs and would only be able to recoup the costs over time. He continued, stating that city officials are willing to take those measures for the sake of improving the community.
The city has scheduled a special hearing ahead of this month’s city council meeting in order to inform the public of these matters. The special meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. on October 14, with the regularly scheduled council meeting to take place immediately after, at 6 p.m.
For questions and additional information regarding city ordinances or beautification efforts, contact Seligman City Hall at (417) 662-3600.
