City of Vicksburg places liens on 17 properties – The Vicksburg Post – Vicksburg Post

Published 3:37 pm Friday, August 19, 2022

The city of Vicksburg has filed liens totaling $10,619 to recover the cost of cleaning and clearing 17 properties in the city.

The Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved the liens at its meeting Monday. Nine of those properties are owned by the state of Mississippi.

Under city ordinances, property owners are required to take care of and maintain their property. If they fail to do so the city, under its ordinances and state law can go on the property and cut and clean it or hire a contractor to do so and then charge the property owner to recover its expenses.

If the property owner does not reimburse the city within a certain period of time, the board goes to the county tax rolls and places liens on the properties to recover the costs, which means the city has to wait until the property owner pays their taxes or sells the property to recover the costs.

The state of Mississippi, which picks up the properties that are not claimed at tax sales, is exempt under state law from paying taxes and the liens on the land. The state can make limited reimbursements to a city for property cleaning and maintenance costs, but the costs cannot exceed the amount of the propertys selling price.

Ward 1 Alderman Michael Mayfield, who is over the citys public works and community development departments, said property owners refusing to clean their property is an ongoing problem.

Ive never seen a week in 17 years of being with the city where we didnt have somebody in violation of the property code, Mayfield said. Its non-stop and the problem were having now is that on most of the lists (of derelict properties) brought to the board a minimum of half (property owners) have not complied.

The compliance rate is actually going down instead of up, he added. Being a citizen of this city and especially being elected its something thats hard to swallow.

With some properties, Mayfield said, the total amount of multiple liens placed by the city for cleaning is more than the propertys value.

And always remember, you cant forgive a fine, he said.

The vacant and neglected buildings, he added, Are destroying this city. Some people wont even bring it up to code. I wish some of these people would hear what their neighbors are saying; they would do better. Were in a sad situation the way these people are keeping their property up in the city of Vicksburg.

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City of Vicksburg places liens on 17 properties - The Vicksburg Post - Vicksburg Post