After public complaints on blight, council backs tougher enforcement and engineers to assess condemned Eastside School

Public comment at the meeting focused heavily on neighborhood blight, downtown maintenance and the need for a master plan. Cindy Hendricks (speaker 9) urged council to adopt clearer regulations and consequences for property owners and to pursue funding for downtown improvements. "We need a master plan," she said during public comment, urging the council to set clear goals and deadlines and to consider consequences for noncompliance.

Dave Tubbs, president of the historic district commission (speaker 12), asked the city to review ordinances affecting the historic district — including alcohol-sales rules in the downtown area — and said the commission hopes to present a proposal at the August meeting. "We are asking for the council support in reviewing and updating the ordinances as that pertain to the historic district and the sale of alcoholic beverages," Tubbs told the council.

In response, the city attorney and administration (speaker 4) pointed to an existing master plan and an updated code-enforcement ordinance already on the books; they described limits of civil enforcement and said the city will begin pursuing criminal-court remedies for repeat or noncompliant property owners. "If you do not want to participate voluntarily ... then what we're gonna do is we're gonna start proceeding with those violations through criminal court," the attorney said, noting that criminal penalties (including possible jail time and fines) would be available under local code changes.

Council members asked for an engineering assessment of the condemned Eastside School to determine demolition costs and next steps; staff said the property has been condemned for about two years and that grant applications to support demolition are being pursued. The council directed staff to have engineering prepare a proposal and cost estimate so the council can consider funding options.