Linden council struggles with property ordinance enforcement

The Linden City Council convened Sept. 14 to discuss agenda items including abandoned lots and the costs to the city.

According to Linden City Administrator Bob Swisher, there have been many complaints about the issue but explained that the city is limited on its options.

Issuing citations to those in violation of the city ordinance has been an option in the past, but the police department is currently unable to arrest anyone for failure to pay on those citations due to the current pandemic situation.

The council discussed retaining an attorney to file liens on abandoned properties for expenses incurred by the city for their maintenance. However, the expense of retaining a lawyer for use several times throughout the year was deemed too costly.

Also discussed was the possibility of damage to equipment while cleaning up the lots and the fact that there are other more pressing matters that may need to be attended to such as road conditions.

It was ultimately decided that more research was needed and the issue was tabled until a later meeting.