Jefferson City officials are taking a closer look at fees associated with abandoned buildings in the city, looking to ensure charges to property owners reflect the city's costs.
Janice McMillan, director of planning and protective services, said the staff is calculating exact costs for securing abandoned buildings and enforcing city code.
But if a recommendation to increase the fees comes out of the calculation, it won't be the first time.
Last fall, the City Council opted not to approve a proposed increase for fees for abandoned buildings. At that time, the recommendation would have increased the initial registration fee from $44 to $150. If the property owner did not pay that fee and register his or her property, a second notice would have been sent out with a recommended fee of $175. And if a summons was issued, the fee would have been increased to $225.
That proposal also would have increased the monthly fee for being on the list of abandoned buildings from $32 to $40. At the time of the proposal, McMillan said the fees would then reflect the actual costs of enforcement.
McMillan said the city does not collect fees from all property owners on the abandoned buildings list. In a committee meeting last fall, she specified about 10 percent of listed property owners were paying the fee.
"Just because they're on the list doesn't mean that they're paying the fees," McMillan said. "It's low."
As of May, the city has 90 properties on the abandoned buildings list, though McMillan specified the list is fluid and, since May, some of the properties may have been sold, rehabilitated or reoccupied. She also said the number of properties on the list is decreasing.
"The numbers are coming down," McMillan said. "We work with people. ... it's kind of constantly changing."
Twenty-one of the 90 properties on the list are owned by Barbara Buescher, who is involved in a civil suit with the city over some of her properties. The city filed a civil suit in December against Buescher citing the city's nuisance code and seeking reimbursement for all costs to the city for securing Buescher's properties. The suit specifically listed 16 of her properties. The city is seeking $49,774.80 through 19 different counts.
According to Missouri Casenet, the next hearing on the case is set for July 6.
In a status report from last fall done by the Planning and Protective Services Department, it stated, "Ms. Buescher insists that she is using the buildings, or has plans to put the buildings into productive use."
Abandoned property list
Jefferson City's list of active abandoned buildings, as of May. Because the list was last updated in May, some listed properties may have been sold or renovated since then.
An abandoned building is defined by the city as being unoccupied for a period of at least 90 days and meets at least two of the following conditions:
- is not secured;
- is fire damaged to an extent that prohibits safe occupancy;
- is the site of loitering or vagrancy;
- demonstrates a lack of property maintenance and upkeep as evidenced by one or more code violations;
- has been boarded up for at least 90 days;
- has taxes in arrears to the city for more than one year;
- has water and/or electricity that has been disconnected;
- is structurally unsound; or
- is a potential hazard or danger to people.
When the city boards up a property and charges a tax lien, it is listed as boarded up, while secured indicates the property owner secured the property.
Address / Owner / Status as of May 2015
1226 Adams St. / Barbara Buescher / Active - boarded up
113 Adams St. / Barbara Buescher / Active - boarded up
109 Adams St. / Barbara Buescher / Active - boarded up
411 E. Ashley St. / Mary Lynne Schulte / Active - secured
507 E. Ashley St. / James L. Driver / Active - secured
216 E. Ashley St. / Timothy J. & Ann Schneiders / Active - boarded up
319 Belair Drive / C H D H / Active - boarded up
1423 Boss Terrace Drive / Brauner Enterprises LLC / Active - secured
405 E. Capitol Ave. / Barbara Buescher / Active - boarded up
413 E. Capitol Ave. / Barbara Buescher / Active - secured
519 E. Capitol Ave. / Barbara Buescher / Active - boarded up
501 E. Capitol Ave. / Barbara Buescher / Active - secured
500 E. Capitol Ave. / Barbara Buescher / Active - secured
419 E. Capitol Ave. / Barbara Buescher / Active - secured
417 E. Capitol Ave. / Barbara Buescher / Active - secured
401 E. Capitol Ave. / Barbara Buescher / Active - boarded up
429 E. Capitol Ave. / Barbara Buescher / Active - secured
1014 E. Capitol Ave. / R M B Inc. / Active - first notice letter sent
511 E. Capitol Ave. / Barbara Buescher / Active - secured
414 E. Capitol Ave. / Barbara Buescher / Active - boarded up
211 W. Cedar Way / Green Industries Inc. / Active - boarded up
406 Cherry St. / Derby Leasing Inc. / Active - boarded up
311 Cherry St. / Brian Blank / Active - secured
320 Cherry St. / Tom McHenry / Active - secured
217 Cherry St. / Roger J. & Mary E. L. Adrian / Active - secured
314 Cherry St. / Brian Blank / Active - secured
207 Chestnut St. / David A. Hall / Active - boarded up
612 Chestnut St. / Juanita Taylor / Active - boarded up
831 Clark Ave. / Patrick A. Lynn / Active - secured
821 Clark Ave. / Archie L. Andrews / Active - secured
415 E. Commercial Way / Barbara Buescher / Active - secured
1216 Cottage Lane / Natalie & Richard Loaiza / Active - secured
1140 Darlene Drive / Richard H. & Melanie Moffat / Active - secured
902 Dockery St. / Denny W. Brautigam / Active - secured
1130 E. Dunklin St. / Christopher M. Hawkey / Active - secured
1217 E. Dunklin St. / Stephen H. & Dora Jane Happy / Active - secured
430 E. Dunklin St. / Kenneth G. Purvis, Jr. / Active - secured
310 W. Elm St. / Jon R. Gilstrap / Active - other
312 W. Elm St. / Jon R. Gilstrap / Active - secured
1229 E. Elm St. / Cornerstone Properties of Missouri / Active - secured
1315 E. Elm St. / Mickie L. & Burless A. Ross / Active - start billing
702 Ewing Drive / Rodney & Russchell D. Weaver / Active - boarded up
304 E. Fillmore St. / Frederick D. & Ada D. Koonce / Active - boarded up
303 E. Fillmore St. / Calvin & Alphonso Adams / Active - start billing
1710 Green Berry Road / William E. Howser / Active - secured
905 Harding St. / Rodney K. & Jane Marie Schaben / Active - secured
921 Harding St. / Josiah Mator / Active - foreclosure
1022 E. High St. / Mary Weber / Active - secured
1120 E. High St. / Archie L. Andrews / Active - boarded up
1316 E. High St. / Brian E. Shepard / Active - secured
1018 W. High St. / Stanley A. & Cindy Province Sakabu / Active - boarded up
1215 E. High St. / Charles Christiansen / Start billing
1332 Hoffman Drive / H S B C Bank U S A N A / Active - start billing (foreclosure)
2027 Honeysuckle Lane / Steven Deangelo Gibson / Active - start billing (foreclosure)
105 Jackson St. / Barbara Buescher / Active - boarded up
108 Jackson St. / Barbara Buescher / Active - boarded up
101 Jackson St. / Barbara Buescher / Active - boarded up
104 Jackson St. / Barbara Buescher / Active - boarded up
103 Jackson St. / Steven J. & Cheryl Bratten / Active - boarded up
114 Jackson St. / Barbara Buescher / Active - secured
209 Jackson St. / Barbara Buescher / Active - boarded up
810 Jackson St. / Charles W. & Bobby Cooper / Active - secured
809 Jackson St. / Howard E. Steenburgen / Active - secured
900 Jackson St. / Elmer C. & Eugene Jackson / Active - secured
315 Lafayette St. / I & R Investments LLC / Active - secured
1720 W. Main St. / Sean Asbury / Active - secured
819 E. McCarty St. / Viola White / Active - secured
815 E. McCarty St. / Mark S. Walker / Active - secured
1634 W. McCarty St. / Rimiller Holdings LLC / Active - secured
616 E. McCarty St. / Beth A. White / Active - secured
1629 E. Miller St. / Robert Rhodes / Active - secure
1320 E. Miller St. / Mike Kuschel / Active - secured
1407 E. Miller St. / Bauer J C Properties LLC / Active - secured
1415 E. Miller St. / Robert Boyd S. Talbert / Active - secured
1312 E. Miller St. / Beth White / Active - secured
710 Monroe St. / Federal Home Loan Mortgage / Active - boarded up (foreclosure)
904 Monroe St. / Bibleway Church / Active - secured
907 Monroe St. / Rita A. Hughes / Active - secured
610 Ohio St. / Harbour Prtfolio VI L P / Start billing
1506 Randy Lane / Secretary of Housing and Urban Development / Active - secured
1224 Riverside Drive / Carol L. Shippen / Active - secured
623 School St. / Larry Rains / Active - secured
1421 St. Marys Blvd. / Gwen A. Wilson / Active - secured
1107 St. Marys Blvd. / Cynthia G. Ott / Active - secured
1702 St. Marys Blvd. / Zi Feng Zhang / Active - secured
1201 St. Marys Blvd. / Hawa E. & James A. Hunt / Active - secured
1009 St. Marys Blvd. / Cheryl Barbero / Active - secured
415 Stadium Blvd. / John Victor Howser / Active - secured
608 E. State St. / Ousley Group LLC / Active - secured
2500 Tanner Bridge Place / Gary A. Karr / Active - secured