Nuisance properties upset resident

RITZVILLE – A local resident wants the city to do something to about nuisance properties.

During the Aug. 1 City Council meeting, resident Rod Larse called on the city to take vigorous action to address ongoing problems with nuisance properties.

On the docket that evening was a property at 205 Turner St.

According to a nuisance resolution, the property contained "a cluttered yard, littered dwelling, multiple vehicles, tires, scrap piles, debris, materials accumulation, building materials and fire hazards."

"I was reading the legal notices about 10 days ago, and one of them sounded familiar," Larse said. "The action item - the show-cause hearing about 205 Turner St. - was addressed two years ago."

Larse, who worked as The Journal reporter, wrote a story published Aug. 24, 2021, headlined, "Council moves on nuisance properties."

"At that time, six properties were addressed," he said. "One property on Fourth was given a pass because it was substantially cleaned up; another was at Third with a tree growing out of the roof; another on West Cherry Street was addressed but nothing has changed."

The house at 205 Turner St. was also cited.

Larse noted that another property located at 304 E. Dogwood St. was declared a nuisance.

"You approved a resolution to clean up that property two years ago," he said. "But nothing has been done. You can have hearings until the cows come home, but I don't think anyone is taking you seriously on any of these properties."

He noted that the properties "bring in other elements," including illicit drug users.

"These properties are a scourge on the community," he said. "You need to do more as a council. I intend to make this a campaign issue. I will support candidates who speak to it.

"Nobody wants this stuff. People want it cleaned up," he said. "Two years!

"I was in the military for eight years. One of the slogans was 'Lead, follow, or get out of the way.' You need to figure out which of those things you're going to do."

Police Chief Dave McCormick agreed.

"I can't tell you the exact year I started dealing with this, but it's been perhaps 15 years," he said. "Every year when the photos and clean-up letters were assigned to the Police Department, this property was on our list - every year."

He asked the Public Works Department to move a trailer so emergency vehicles could get down the alley.

"For two months, I asked the people living there to move it," he said. "A month prior, I had a black Ford pickup towed from the alley. These people are never going to clean it up.

"For 15 years or longer they have done nothing. The only way for this to get done is for the city to take action to hire someone to clean it completely."

Clerk/Treasurer Julie Flyckt said the city is researching potential contractors.

"The contractor will do the cleanup and we will bill the property owner," she said. "If we don't get payment, the bill will go into a lien process."

City Attorney John Kragt said this has been a chronic issue.

"These people have no incentive to clean it up," he said. "If the city does the cleanup for them, and we put a lien on a property they don't even own, they're not out anything. It doesn't matter to them.

"Even if you clean it spic and span, there's a good chance it will look similar in six months because people are hoarders."

"I'd like to know what the cost will be before we move on this," Councilman Mike Scraag said.

Larse pushed back.

"You guys keep talking about cost," he said. "I spent 30 years working in state and local government - in Nevada, Ritzville, Spokane, Moses Lake. One of the biggest outs for any argument is 'there's no money for that. It's not in the budget.'

"In 30 years of working for government agencies, I learned that if the right people want something done, money is not an issue."

McCormick agreed.

"It's been the age-old problem," he said. "In this city, we have an ordinance that says 'if you don't do this, we're going to take action.' But we never do, because we're worried about the cost.

"We should budget for this every year. We have to enforce these ordinances."

The council passed the resolution declaring the property at 205 Turner St. a nuisance.

In other business:

• John Rankin noted the Ritzville Downtown Development Association will no longer sponsor events like Music on Main downtown because the summer heat "just kills" attendance. "Going forward, we won't be requesting funding for those types of projects," he said.

Police Chief McCormick said there will be a fundraiser at the Eagles on Friday, Aug. 25. Cory Bartlett's band will play, and funds will be used to help cover medical costs for a local cancer victim.

• Scott Yaeger, city councilman and county engineer, discussed various street maintenance projects.

• The council approved the purchase of a used mower for the golf course. The estimated cost with shipping is $25,000.

• Clerk/Treasurer Julie Flyckt and Adams County Emergency Management Director Sandy Duffy discussed an emergency notification system. The county has been using the Code Red system for the past year and will allow the city to tie into that system at no charge.

• Based on a recommendation from the city Tree Board, the council approved $60,000 to plant a maximum of 24 trees along the western end of First Avenue.