By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
A Decatur resident has been given until April 9 to clean up his property or face fines of $100 a day.
Jeffrey Chrisman, who owns the home at 734 Spencer St., appeared at the latest meeting of the board of works and safety, summoned by the building and zoning department, which oversees enforcement of the city’s code ordinances.
Chrisman said he does not live there, the structure is vacant and he plans to sell it.
The department’s assistant superintendent, Brad Roe, told the board that the issues at Chrisman’s property “are a handful of things, but all manageable.”
Roe read the list of notices sent to Chrisman, who said some of the items in question have been removed.
Chrisman told the board that some cats living under the house are being fed by a neighbor. “I don’t want (to close it) and have the cats die,” he said.
“We need to trap them and get them out of there,” Roe remarked.
Noting that the spring heavy trash collection starts April 1, the board gave Chrisman until April 9 to get the house’s issues corrected or face the $100-a-day fines.
POPPIN’: The board approved the building/zoning department obtaining a subscription to Doxpop, a Richmond, Indiana-based service which will do searches of court documents, including title searches.
“Anytime we send out an abatement notice we must notify all parties involved, said Curt Witte, who heads the city department. Doxpop will search and provide necessary information.
Title searches in some cases can become extremely time consuming.
The service will cost $30 a month.
