Questions delay vote on property codes

By Russ Pulley
Special to the Journal
The final vote on a proposed property maintenance code in Blue Springs is on hold. The City Council on Monday had its first reading on the ordinance containing the proposed regulations, which is the first official step toward passing the code. But the Council also voted to table a required second reading and vote until the city resolves a central issue: how to create a safety net for people who can't afford to fix their property. Councilwoman Sheila Solon said she'd prefer to see the city create a minor-repair program, similar to one in Lee's Summit that helps owners with lower incomes care for their property. She suggested the city could use annual grant money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that is intended to help lower- to middle-income neighborhoods. "I want this to be successful," Solon said. "I know we have many residents who put calls in to our codes department, and right now our codes aren't strong enough and are unenforceable. But we certainly don't want to go out and try to hurt people who are unable to fix their property up." Solon said she also wanted to see a more-definite plan for involving churches and other civic organizations to aid people who need help meeting the code. Councilman Jeff Quibell said he had been working on a maintenance code for three years, after he encountered a resident living next to a property in severe disrepair. But he agreed the city wasn't prepared to enact the code, because criteria were needed for deciding who could qualify for such an assistance program and the financing mechanism. He moved to send the issue back to the Property Maintenance Committee to get those components in place. The council agreed 4-2, with Ron Fowler and Lyle Shaver dissenting. Fowler said his concern was that it could be a lengthy delay in getting a repair program in place. Mayor Steve Steiner cautioned that during past years cities lobbied to keep that grant program intact. He said funding probably will continue for the short term, but it might not be there in the long run. Steiner, who has opposed the code because he was afraid of potential abuses and impact on senior citizens, said in an interview that he had decided not to veto it but would have allowed it to become an ordinance without signing it. Because of the Council's vote, it's likely the Council seated after April's election will complete the ordinance. The current Council by consensus agreed it wants some regulation, but it had varied concerns about clauses or language. Shaver said that based on comments from residents he thought the proposed ordinance was acceptable, with a few tweaks. At one informational meeting, a dozen residents had a few questions on whether the code definitions were specific enough and whether they could be abused in a neighborhood feud. The intent is for codes officers to enforce it on a complaints-only basis, except in severe cases. For example, Shaver wants to add a clause excluding materials normally used in landscaping, so residents couldn't be cited for having a pile of "four or five bricks" in their backyard. He also wanted to drop seeds, fruit and nuts from items that can't be composted.