Junk house law approved

City officials will now have the authority to demolish abandoned or vacant houses in Portland.

Members of the Portland City Council voted Monday to approve an amendment to the city's code of ordinances for unsafe buildings. This amendment adds provisions for houses that have been vacant for at least six months, and houses that are abandoned.

Bill Hinkle, city attorney, told council members that state law recently changed to include vacant and abandoned houses.

Hinkle said after the meeting that in order for a house to be considered vacant, it must be empty for at least six consecutive months. Other conditions could include the owner being delinquent on property taxes and the house being considered a public nuisance. He said city officials likely would wait until the property has been unoccupied for a year or two before deciding to tear it down.

Houses would be considered abandoned if unoccupied and if the utilities have been shut off for an extensive length of time.

This amendment would give the city the power to have the property razed and file a lien to recover the cost of the demolition, Hinkle said.

In other business, council members approved a resolution to commit $380,000 in city utility funds as a matching amount for the Steen Addition sewer separation project grant application.

Ami Huffman, community developer, said the council approved a similar resolution in September. However, the city was denied the grant funds from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs in that grant round.

The city is applying for a $600,000 Community Focus Fund grant to separate storm and sanitary sewers. The addition is bordered on the east by Boundary Pike and on the north by Floral Avenue. The grant application is due this week.

Also Monday, Portland Mayor Bruce Hosier thanked council members for voting recently to use up to $1,500 In Portland Economic Development Income Tax funds for his trip to Washington D.C.

Hosier departs today and will be meeting with federal officials to lobby for funds for the city's north side sewer separation project and for matching grant funds for the Lafayette Street extension project. He will return to Portland on Friday.

He plans to meet with U.S. Representative Mike Pence, U.S. Senator Richard Lugar and U.S. Senator Evan Bayh.[[In-content Ad]]