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Century Considers Code Enforcement Again

August 29, 2008

The Century Town Council talked code enforcement Thursday, with some members admitting that it was going to be a touchy political subject.

The town severed an agreement with Escambia County to provide code enforcement in Century. Under that agreement, the county’s code enforcement officers worked Century and wrote citations that were turned over to the town for abatement. The services were provided by the county at no charge to Century.

The arrangement came under fire, with allegations that the county’s officers provided selective enforcement, citing some people but no others. That prompted the council to sever the relationship with Escambia Code Enforcement. Now, there is no code enforcement at all in the town.

But now, council members are ready to look at returning code enforcement to the town.

“I see a real need for something to be done to clean up the town, particularly dilapidated building,” Council President Ann Brooks said. She suggested one of two options: the town could return to the code enforcement business with its own code enforcement officer, or the town could once again rely on Escambia County to enforce the town’s code book.

Mayor Freddie McCall told the council that he wants to see the town use the county’s code officers and that the county has offered to return one to Century at no cost to the town.

“I plead with y’all to lets sit down with the county and work out the details,” McCall said. “We can’t afford a code enforcement officer.”

But money was not McCall’s only concern about the town having its own code enforcement officer. He said he was afraid the town doing its own code enforcement could become too political.

“This is going to be a hot bed. This is going to be political. There’s going to be some picking and choosing,” McCall said of the town having its own code officer. “I don’t think we should put ourselves in this position.”

Council member Nadine McCaw expressed her concern about small town politics coming into play if the town were to act on its own with enforcement.

“We might be more lenient to your momma or Gary’s sister,” McCaw said to Brooks. “I want somebody that doesn’t know anybody here.”

“I believe that I am as capable of voting against my mother as I am anyone else,” Brooks said later in the meeting.

The town has a clear code in place that defines violations and outlines the steps to require a property owner to bring their property into compliance.

The code outlaws any property or structure that is a nuisance due to rats, vermin, flies or other things that cause disease; a lot that has an accumulation of rubbish, trash or garbage; a building that is dilapidated or an unsafe menace; a lot with an accumulation of one or more inoperable vehicles, excluding businesses such as auto repair shops and junkyards; and overgrown vegetation except for a lot with no building in or returning to a natural state, or property that is zoned as agricultural.

Residents are to be notified of the violation and have 20 days to begin to rectify the situation or contest the citation, per the code. If the property owner does nothing, the town would have the right to clean up the property or demolish the dilapidated building and file a lien against the property. If an alleged violator wanted to appeal their citation, they would face the town council in a code hearing.

“I can’t do it; I don’t agree with it,” McCaw said about the council acting hearing code enforcement appeals.

“You don’t have to be a building inspector to look down Highway 29 at those buildings falling down,” council member Henry Hawkins said.

“If we could just enforce what we have on our books, we could be in much better shape, council member Gary Riley said.

McCaw expressed concern that a code officer hired by the Town of Century might hold a physically dangerous position.

“Their life might be at stake,” she said. “People will kill over something like that.”

The council voted to hold another public hearing at a date to be announced with officials with the county’s code enforcement division to discuss how the two might could work together.

Pictured above: A dilapidated home on Freedom Road in Century. Pictured below: An abandoned building on North Century Boulevard in the southern part of Century. Building such as these could become the target of code enforcement in Century. NorthEscambia.com photos.

Comments

3 Responses to “Century Considers Code Enforcement Again”

Willene on September 3rd, 2008 5:56 pm

The town of Century needs code enforcement really bad if they ever want to grow and have businesses to move in. But if you are going to use people from the town of Century you are wasting your time. You need the County Code Enforcement. Someone that is not a best friend or kin. And that my friend is the reason why. Everybody is either good friends or maybe kin or someone that is wanting to see how good of a friend you are. Sound likes to me there could be some trouble if some rules were broken. And I see that happening. Get strick and clean up the place. I did not realize that Century had so many junk yards and there was never a ribbon cutting for a new business.
Trish on September 3rd, 2008 3:34 pm

You need to let the county do the code enforcement. I’m sorry but “John Doe” town employee who is given the job is not going to turn in someone who is a relative or buddy OR a local politician. You are asking for problems when you have someone who knows half the town and is related in some way to the other half.

It looks to me like those who are saying they want a town employee to do this is just wanting a “body” to pacify the people who want the town cleaned up. Let’s be honest, Century is full of nice people but it is also full of dumps that need cleaned up. Just driving on Hwy 29 you could find more to count than you have fingers to count with. You want things cleaned up as long as it is not yours, your families, or your friends (and lets not forget someone who might vote for you).

Some talk big about wanting new business and new families to move in. I am sure you have heard the saying “the proof is in the pudding”! So lets be honest, you really don’t want anyone to actually move into your town. You are evidently happy with the status quo.
Lana B. on September 2nd, 2008 9:12 pm

I think the same should go for the city itself.

Look at the old building downtown century in front of the old century hospital. That building needs to be torn down. When is that going to happen? Can we (citizens of century) take the same action and put a 20 day start clean up enforce for the city?

Hummm…just something to think about…Clean around your own door first!

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News