12 - Release of Lien-Waiver Request - 1567 S. Main Street

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No. 12 Memorandum TO: Mayor, Mayor Pro Tem & City Council FROM: Grayson Path, City Manager SUBJECT: Release of Lien / Waiver Request DATE: September 11, 2023 BACKGROUND: In May 2006, the City of Paris demolished a dangerous structure located at 1567 S Main Street (LCAD #19991) and applied a lien against the property on June 20, 2006 in the principal amount of $1,469.65. The lien has continued to exist on this property, unpaid, since that time. The taxes have all been paid and any other nuisance violations that may have occurred along the way have also been paid. The Buildings and Standards Commission (BSC) ordered the structure to be demolished on February 20, 2006, giving it 30 days otherwise a $1,000/day civil penalty would take place. Based on the timing on when the structure was torn down (May 8, 2006 = 77 days after the BSC, thus 47 days after the 30th day), there would be $47,000.00 in civil penalties in existence on this property. STATUS OF ISSUE: Ms. Betty Stokes, who resides in California, is listed on the property with her late mother, Enola Lyons. According to Ms. Stokes, this house was her grandmother's, however her mother (Ms. Lyons) moved to California in the 1940s, and she (Ms. Stokes) was born in the 1950s, also in California. Neither lived in Paris. According to LCAD, the property entered in to their combined name in 1989. Her mother (Ms. Lyons) passed away in 2005 (a year before the house went before the BSC). Ms. Stokes claims that any notices likely went to her mother's old address, and it was not until later in time that she was contacted about delinquent taxes and high grass violations (according to our records, 2011+), which has all been paid up now (verified on LCAD and our records). She states that she was unaware that the demolition lien was on the house, so when she contacted a realtor to try and sell the property, this came up un -expectantly. She states that had she been aware of a demolition lien, she would have paid those when she paid her delinquent taxes and past -due nuisance liens in order to have stopped the accumulation of interest. She has offered to pay the principal amount of $1,469.65, but has requested the waiver of the civil penalties as well