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Monday, August 20, 2012

Council passes ordinance on blighted property

The Midway City Council voted 4-2 tonight to enact an ordinance to crack down on blighted properties in the city, a topic of discussion in city government for almost a year.

The "no" votes were cast by Council Members Doris Leigh and Sharon Turner, left, the mayor pro tem. Leigh did not explain her vote, but Turner said she wanted tighter qualifications for the mayor-appointed committee that will review the cases of properties officially identified as blighted.

The ordinance calls for members of the committee to be property owners or residents in the city. Turner said they should be both property owners and residents. In an interview, she said that would prevent non-residents who own property, and residents who do not own property, from sitting in judgment of property owners in the city.

Turner said she was "tickled to death" with the rest of the ordinance, but had received several calls from constituents who saw the committee question as she did. The committee members will serve three-year terms and their appointments are subject to approval by the council.

For a copy of the ordinance, click here. For the nuisance code ordinance, go here.

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