A recent report discusses the efforts of Jackson County MS officials to address vacant and abandoned properties in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Properties face condemnation
Supervisors ready to begin process

Jackson County supervisors are moving to have properties damaged by Katrina and in bad shape, but neglected by the property owner, condemned as a menace to public health.

County Planning Director Michele Coats told the Board of Supervisors on Monday that 12 properties are ready to begin the process by which the county documents the condition of the property and then the board hears the issues and makes the condemnation if evidence supports the call.

If the property is found to be a menace, the county then has the option to tear it down and assess the cost of demolition to the property owner. These properties did not qualify for FEMA demolition for one reason or another, Coats said.

The problem of dilapidated structures in this case is more acute in areas where there are a lot of absentee property owners, like Gulf Park Estates, Coats said. The 12 that the board will consider in the near future are houses where it appears the owners have abandoned them.

The board has set a public hearing date for the first of the 12, where county planning will present a case that the structure should be condemned and the land cleared. The other dates are expected to be set after the first of the year, Coats said.

To view the online article, please click here.