The Northern Rockies municipal council replied to an anonymous letter about community wellbeing and derelict, run down, properties in Fort Nelson during their monthly meeting for July.
“There are now a growing number of abandoned and derelict homes that are becoming an eyesore, and in my opinion, a possible safety issue to the community,” said the unnamed writer – they also said they noticed “community standards spiral downward.”
The anonymous author only identified themselves as a, “concerned citizen and taxpayer.”
Municipal councillor Kyle Andrews brought the letter to the agenda but was not present for the meeting.
Northern Rockies councillor Lorraine Gerwig said she agreed with the concerned citizen. The municipal council asked their Chief Administrative Office, Scott Barry how the situation is being handled.
Barry said staff is aware and tending to the issue, but they must follow protocol before accessing private properties.
“There’s a very lengthy process that we have to follow before we get action,” explained Barry.
Currently, there are 33 properties on the municipality’s radar – 15 of which have been served an order to comply, meaning the property owners received a notice telling them to clear out the property. If they fail to, the municipality will have legal grounds to take matters into its own hands.
Barry clarified that people who own more than one derelict property will not receive numerous warnings, effectively skipping a step.
Fees for cleaning up, if done through municipal intervention, is charged to the owner on their property taxes.
Fort Nelson residents who see abandoned properties are asked to report them to the municipality.
