Jonesboro Public Safety Committee Approves Maintenance Code

The city of Jonesboro faces a property maintenance crisis on a daily basis, with the issue creating a boatload of problems, said the chairman of a committee looking into the issue.

The Jonesboro City Council Public Safety Committee on Tuesday (Oct. 27) approved a proposal to adopt the International Maintenance Code by reference. The issue has been controversial in the past year or so, with supporters and opponents making their points known.

Supporters have said a proposed code will help remedy issues including enforcement involving dilapidated buildings and abandoned properties. Several at the meeting cited the dilapidated properties have caused crime rates to go up. However, opponents have said the code would infringe on private property and due process rights of people who own properties.

Committee chairman Teresa Beck said the committee spent 25 hours over several meetings to review sample codes to meet specific needs in Jonesboro. The committee voted 6-3 earlier this month to forward the proposal to the council’s public safety committee. Beck said there has been at least 150 condemnations in recent years, with city regulations providing an “all or nothing” approach.

A February 2012 study conducted by the city of Jonesboro brought up the issue, with regulatory reform being a key need, Beck said. She said cities around the southeast United States have developed property codes in recent years. City Attorney Carol Duncan said the International Maintenance Code was used as a reference point for discussion on the issue.

OPPONENTS
Eugene Holloway said the mention of a right of entry into a home by code officers in the code should be amended to remove any controversy on the issue. Charles Willis said issues involving a foundation being “off plumb” would be considered a violation. Willis said the code is too encompassing, with most landlords willing to fix issues related to properties.

John Hardin, who voted no on the interior but yes on the exterior as part of the committee, said the code puts landlords at a disadvantage on owning properties and could force renters out of the home. Hardin said while debate has centered around tenant/landlord issues, the code would impact all residential properties in town.

Council member Chris Moore said a local rental property group requested that the code include all residential property instead of just rental properties. Several who opposed the code said city officials have done a poor job of educating people on the issue. Harold Carter said that rental property and homeowners need time to review what the proposal would include.

“Homeowners don’t want to be told it will cost $50,000 to fix their home,” Carter said. “If not, they may just have to go to an old folks home and forget about it.”

Jonesboro Mayor Harold Perrin thanked the committee for their work on the issue as well as the report they completed. Perrin said he read the code Monday night and that the code addresses many of the concerns on the issue.

The code will be debated at the Nov. 3 meeting and will be discussed at three separate readings, said council committee Mitch Johnson.