Knox Mayor Dennis Estok told the Board of Public Works members last week that a greater effort will be made to clean up properties in the city.
Knox Planning Administrator and Director of Building and Code Compliance Kenny Pfost presented the board with properties owned by Melvin Zeiters that need attention. Pfost said he sent notices of ordinance violations including public nuisance and no improvements have been made. Several vehicles on these properties are considered to be junk vehicles by definition of the ordinance, according to Pfost.
Pfost added that he also hand delivered orders to repair several properties under the unsafe building ordinance in March and no work has been done.
City Attorney Leslie Baker said a hearing may be scheduled in order to assess fines in this matter.
Ultimately, Mayor Estok said it’s just time to enforce the city’s ordinances.
“We have got to double down and we have got to follow through and we’ve got to start performing ourselves,” said Mayor Estok. “We have every ordinance and every tool to clean up and we need to start doing it. We just have to follow through and do it. The police department – Harold, you guys can do enforcement on a lot of this stuff. You know these cars that are sitting down there unplated? Tag them, follow the procedure, hook them, and get them out of there.”
If there is non-compliance, the mayor said the city can do the work, but it’ll be at the cost of the homeowner for equipment and labor costs.
Pfost and Baker will review the city’s Code of Ordinances to find the laws in order to get the process going.
