City of Shelbyville cracking down on nuisance properties

The City of Shelbyville currently deals with nuisance properties once complaints are filed. That procedure is changing, according to Shelbyville Mayor Scott Furgeson.

City of Shelbyville Code Enforcement Officer Troy Merrick has been tasked with searching out nuisance properties and proactively working to get those properties back up to code.

“We have changed the way we are doing nuisance enforcement in the city,” said Furgeson at Monday’s Shelbyville Common Council meeting at City Hall. “Our nuisance enforcement officer is running the same route as the trash truck five days a week looking for things that need to be enforced. We have done 102 letters in the last two-and-a-half weeks out to residents.

“This is to put everybody on notice that we are out actively looking for nuisance violations to clean up our city and make it look nicer.”

Furgeson restated the city’s new policy Tuesday morning at the Board of Works and Public Safety meeting at City Hall. It came after Merrick brought forth five active cases of nuisance properties.

The Board of Works approved having the city clean up 305 Sunset, a frequent nuisance property, and bill the owner, who asked for the city’s help as the residents are in the process of being evicted.

The city also will clean up the residence at 321 Howard St. Despite warnings and deadlines, the property is still not up to code.

Orders to appear for the owners of 1216 Elm St., 238 W. Mechanic St., and 569 W. Taylor St. also were approved Tuesday morning.

“People should be warned that we are actively seeking properties that need taken care of,” said Furgeson Tuesday morning.

In other Board of Works business Tuesday:

• Furgeson recognized new Shelbyville police officers Jacob Lee and Conner Hasecuster, who were in attendance at the meeting Tuesday. Both graduated Friday from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy and are now beginning 12 weeks of field training in the city. Furgeson noted that in a graduating class of 156, Lee and Hasecuster were ranked in the top five.

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