Property on South Daviess Street.
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The Gallatin Police Department has been actively working on code violations during April. Twelve letters regarding code violations were sent out to residents, according to Police Chief Mark Richards.
Four abandoned buildings have been torn down and the lots cleared, including one at 205 South Willow; one at 505 South Daviess; one at 809 West Mill; and one at 310 North Clay.
“We’ve had a better response to code compliance this year than in the last several years,” says Chief Richards. “It can cost several thousand dollars to tear a house down, so we’re always grateful for the citizens who are willing to do it. Otherwise, we have to go through the process of boarding the property and cleaning it up.”
The ordinance allows the city to put a lien on the property if the owner doesn’t clean it up. But the city much prefers having the owner correct the issue of their own accord.
Another eight properties are actively being addressed. At least two of those propety owners have already contacted the police department and expressed a desire to get their property taken care of. The other six have a limited amount of time to contact the police before fines are imposed.
The 12 letters sent out to residents address major issues. Several others properties have minor violations; these are things considered nuisances by the city ordinances, like unlicensed vehicles, tires, building materials, general refuse and trash.
High grass will no doubt be next on city-wide code violations, and, again, the city would rather not have to mow anybody’s property, and asks that residents not wait for a notice from the police to cut the grass.
“Our goal is to help the owner get their property to a level where it doesn’t distract from their neighbors,” Chief Richards says.
Though ordinances are enforced all year long, the police department does try to coordinate the work on code violations with bulk trash pickup dates, which were April 23-24 of this week… “in case they needed to get rid of any big stuff,” says Chief Richards.