HOULTON, Maine – Following resident concerns about the declining condition of neighborhoods, Houlton’s code enforcement officer has devoted more time to patrolling the streets since the last week of May.
“I have taken a more active role in patrolling various areas of town,” said Benjamin Torres. “So, far, as a result of these outings, I have contacted over a dozen different property owners about the declining condition of their properties.”
Additionally, Torres said that he will contact property owners that do not yet have violations but are at risk if property conditions continue to decline.
During a recent Houlton Town Council meeting, a local business owner and resident said that the condition of the community is going downhill and it is escalating out of control.
Josh McLaughlin, owner of J. McLaughlin Construction, who lives on Park Street, said that as a taxpayer and business owner who donates a lot of time and money to the community, he wants the town to put some teeth into code enforcement efforts.
“The trash and rat infestation is pathetic at best,” McLaughlin said during a June town Council meeting. “There isn’t a street in town that doesn’t have a house with tall grass … the walking trail downtown, there’s encampments that get moved along by police but they come back.”
At the time, McLaughlin said that Torres is an energetic code enforcement officer; he assumes he’s out there making phone calls, knocking on doors and sending letters. But the time it takes to resolve violations is unacceptable, he said.
“I’ve heard that it takes a long time to get action through the courts, but I don’t care, the town needs to do more,” he said.
During Monday’s town council meeting Torres, who is also the plumbing inspector, the health officer and the addressing officer, said that with the assistance of the town attorney and town manager, he has reduced the time property owners are given to correct violations from 90 to 34 days.
If there has been no change after three notices issued over a 34-day time period, Torres turns over the time-stamped photos and information on the violation to the town attorney to file with the court.
The court then determines time limits and fines related to the code violations.
If the court’s deadlines pass with no change, the town can ask the court for permission to correct the violation and bill the property owner, Torres said.
Over time, the town could place a lien on the property and either sell or demolish it if the repairs or compliance measures do not get paid for by the property owner.
“Our goal is compliance,” Torres said. “We are not in the business of taking property.”
Earlier this summer tall grass was an issue, but Torres said that has vastly improved.
One of the most challenging issues is vacant buildings with out-of-state owners. The town often does not have the current address and finding the owner regarding property issues is difficult.
Recently, a certified letter he sent to a property owner in May was just returned because the address was no longer valid.
The only option at that point is to run a notice in the newspaper where the property owner’s address was last listed, he said.
Health code violations, like trash and rodents, or structural issues that pose a public safety issue always take priority, he added.
With all his various roles, patrolling Houlton’s 36 square miles for property maintenance enforcement and compliance with property maintenance code is a big task and he relies heavily on complaints and pictures from the community.
“Please, if you see anything, a fence falling down, a house that has a stovepipe sticking out a window, junk cars piling up on front lawns, let me know,” he said.
The town council is also looking into additional town ordinances to address these concerns.
