At the top of the City Council of Webster City meeting agenda tonight is a public hearing on a proposal to overhaul the city’s code pertaining to vacant buildings.

Anyone who owns property in Webster City, whether residential, commercial or industrial, will be affected by the new ordinance should it be adopted.

According to the meeting agenda packet, “The updated ordinance targets buildings that are both unoccupied and inadequately maintained, regardless of zoning classification. Those neglected properties negatively impact neighborhood stability, property values, and the overall image of Webster City.”

If adopted, the new ordinance will require registration of every abandoned building in the city.

A registration and administration fee would be charged for each registration. Owners of vacant buildings would have to submit a plan and timetable for re-occupancy of their buildings. Maintenance and security requirements are delineated in detail, as well as fees for non-compliance.

Essentially, owners will be required to maintain vacant buildings in the same condition as if they were still occupied.

The new regulations are considered necessary as the city struggles with a growing number of vacant buildings.

A second public hearing will ask whether the Council should approve $724,084 for local street repairs this summer. The repairs follow the pattern of summer street repairs in recent years, with milling of existing pavement, and repaving with new asphalt.

Finance Director Dodie Wolfgram recommended amendments to the fiscal year 2024-2025 (July 1 2024 – June 30 2025) budget. The State of Iowa requires cities to hold a public hearing to make such changes public in two cases: if the city spends more than budgeted, or if revenues fall short of what was forecasted.

This hearing is proposed for May 19, at 6:05 p.m.

The Council will also consider an amended Planned Residential Development document and preliminary plat for Lynx Development No. 2 east of Van Diest Medical Center on the city’s southeast side. The major change from the preliminary plat, approved by Council in 2018, is approval of smaller lot sizes. If approved, this would result in an overall density of 9.15 residential units per acre, which is well within the five to 12 units per acre allowed by present zoning.