Neighbors complain about property

Hagerstown finds itself without a building commissioner for the third time in a year as pressure builds for the town to take action on unsafe properties.

Several residents asked the Town Council on Oct. 7 for action on a house and yard that has become an eyesore over the past year. The building commissioner’s resignation was announced at the same meeting.

Shelly Gray asked the council what the town is doing about the property at 450 N. Plum St. She said, “There’s critters living there … huge raccoons.” The front door had been open for months and the property smelled, she said.

Building Commissioner Terry Ford, who enforces code violations, had inspected the house and provided photos of conditions, said Chris LaMar, town manager. The town has notified the owner three times that unsafe conditions had to be corrected or the town would take steps leading to fines and possible demolition of the house as an unsafe building. 

The town’s next step is to board over doors and windows, LaMar said. By Friday, Oct. 11, that work had been completed but the yard was still overgrown, largely in thistles, and a metal awning was hanging crookedly over the front stoop. A Richmond real estate agent had bought the property about a year ago, said council member Fred Dill.

County records show the property is owned by KT Property Group LLC since August 2023. The Indiana Secretary of State’s office lists Kyle R. Tom II of Richmond as the sole member of that business entity.

LaMar and council member Brian Longbons said the house is one of three on a list for possible demolition when money becomes available through the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County. That process is long, they said. 

Town legal action starts with the town notifying the property owner of conditions that violate state and local law. The owner must be given time to fix the conditions before the town takes more action. If the town is forced to mow the yard or abate other conditions, the property owner will be billed. The town’s costs can be added to the property tax bill and must be paid before the property could be sold.

Before demolition, the town would need to get a title search and notify anyone with an ownership interest in the property, according to town attorney Jon D. Madison. The owners could appeal the town’s citations. 

Dill said that Ford has resigned. LaMar said on Oct. 7 that Ford told him he has been offered building inspector jobs in other cities at increased pay.

The town hired Ford about a year ago to learn the building commissioner’s job, which he took over on Jan. 1. He resigned in March from the $14,000-a-year part-time job and took a similar position at Centerville. He returned to work at Hagerstown on May 28, getting increased hours and responsibilities, for pay of $28,288. 

This comes as the town is updating its unsafe buildings code at the urging of Ford and the town Advisory Plan Commission, which Longbons chairs. Town attorney Madison has been studying the current code to ensure it complies with state and federal law. The law seems good, he said, but needs minor updates. Active enforcement will mean using an “unsafe buildings hearing authority” to hear appeals from property owners who disagree with a town citation. Town Council would be the hearing authority.

 In other business, the council agreed to renew a contract for services from the Wayne County EDC for one year. The usual renewal is for three years. 

Hagerstown and other participating municipalities agree to pay the EDC one-half of their annual economic development income tax. In return, EDC provides economic development services. Council members said they do not believe they are getting their money’s worth from EDC and will review the contract in a year.

The council’s next regular meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 4, in Town Hall, 49 E. College St. The public may attend.