'This Is the Worst Property in the City'

Powder Springs city officials are contemplating what to do with a vandalized, trashed house that for now appears ownerless.

“I can’t tell you how bad it is,” Brenda Haythorne, a code enforcement employee with , told the City Council at Monday’s work session. “This is the worst property we have in the city.”

Copper lines have been stolen from within the home at 3862 Misty Bleau Drive off Hopkins Road. There are holes in the walls, and the front door was lying on the ground until Haythorne and a neighbor fixed it into place as best they could.

The city was able to trace ownership back to last April but can’t figure out who currently owns it. Officials contacted the previous owners with no response, and none of the major banks or mortgage companies are laying claim.

The has been maintaining the grass, a service the city is charging for by adding to unpaid property taxes.

This is the first time the city can’t seem to find anything regarding ownership, Haythorne explained.

The property was named a public nuisance by the city’s municipal court, and the judge gave permission to demolish. Community Development Director Pam Conner said the repairs appear more costly than the value of the property, and the city is collecting and evaluating bids for the demolition.

The costs incurred by the city—unpaid taxes, demolition and mowing—will hopefully be collected through selling the property, Haythorne said.

Councilman Al Thurman said he was worried that demolition might be too drastic of a measure right now, and that the city might not be able to turn around and sell the property.

Councilwoman Cheryl Sarvis suggested contacting the fire department to see if it would be interested in taking the property on as a project.

Haythorne said she would contact the department, as well as other cities to see how they have handled such situations.

What should the city do with the property? Tell us in the comments.

Also on Monday:

• Council members declared tires picked up from creeks and other areas around the city, as well as ones used for city vehicles, as surplus. Some are still usable, and the highest bidder would receive all of them, Public Works Director Greg Ramsey said.
• Special use approval was given to the Kasey and Sandra Taylor to start a used merchandise store, primarily selling baby clothes, to open downtown next to .
• Cindy Campbell, a member of the ’s Board of Directors, presented council members with a paper from the state ethics commission. She said the document was clearance from an alleged ethics violation, submitted by former Councilman Ra Barr, concerning an endorsement in the 2009 elections for Councilwoman Cheryl Sarvis, who served on the board with Campbell.

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