HomeMy Public PortalAbout2022-01-11 minutesCity of Jefferson Historic Preservation Commission Minutes
Regular Meeting – Tuesday, January 6, 2022
Council Chambers – John G. Christy Municipal Building
320 E. McCarty Street/Virtual WebEx Meeting
Commission Members Present Attendance Record
Donna Deetz, Chairperson 1 of 1
Alan Wheat, Vice Chairperson 1 of 1
Gail Jones 1 of 1
Tiffany Patterson 1 of 1
Brad Schaefer 1 of 1
Commission Members Absent Attendance Record
Steven Hoffman 0 of 1
Michael Berendzen 0 of 1
Council Liaison Present
Laura Ward
Staff Present
Rachel Senzee, Neighborhood Services Supervisor
Karlie Reinkemeyer, Neighborhood Services Specialist
Dave Helmick, Property and Housing Inspector
Guests Present
Michael Shine, News Tribune
Ron Fitzwater, Councilman Ward 4
Call to Order
Ms. Deetz called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
Adoption of Agenda
Ms. Patterson moved and Mr. Wheat seconded to adopt the agenda as amended. The motion passed
unanimously.
Approval of Regular Meeting Minutes
Mr. Wheat moved and Ms. Patterson seconded to approve the minutes from the December 14, 2021,
Regular Meeting as written. The motion passed unanimously.
Other Business
A. Dangerous Building Processes and Current Status
Dave Helmick, Property and Housing Inspector gave a presentation on the Dangerous Building process.
Mr. Helmick explained that the purpose of the Dangerous Building Ordinance is to provide a just,
equitable, and practicable method for the repairing, vacation, or demolition of buildings or structures
that may endanger the life, limb, health, property, safety, or welfare of the occupants of such buildings
or the general public. Mr. Helmick stated that the Dangerous Building ordinance can be found in the City
Code Sec. 8-82. Mr. Helmick explained the ordinance:
Sec. 8-82. - Dangerous buildings defined
All buildings or structures that are detrimental to the health, safety, or welfare of the residents of
the City of Jefferson and that have any or all of the following defects shall be deemed "dangerous
buildings":
A. Those with interior walls or other vertical structural members that list, lean, or buckle to such
an extent that a plumb line passing through the center of gravity falls outside the middle third of
its base.
B. Those that, exclusive of the foundation, show 33 percent or more damage or deterioration of
the supporting member or members or 50 percent damage or deterioration of the non-
supporting enclosing or outside walls or covering.
C. Those that have improperly distributed loads upon the floors or roofs, or in which the same
are overloaded or that have insufficient strength to be reasonably safe for the purpose used.
D. Those that have been damaged by fire, wind, or other causes so as to become dangerous to
life, safety, or the general health and welfare of the occupants or the people of the City.
E. Those that are so dilapidated, decayed, unsafe, unsanitary, or that so utterly fail to provide
the amenities essential to decent living that they are unfit for human habitation, or are likely to
cause sickness or disease, so as to work injury to the health, safety, or welfare of those
occupying such building.
F. Those buildings built in violation of any safety provision of the building code, electrical code,
plumbing code, mechanical code, minimum housing standards code, or the fire prevention code
of the City, or used in violation thereof.
G. Those having light, air, and sanitation facilities that are inadequate to protect the health,
safety, or general welfare of human beings who live or may live therein.
H. Those having inadequate facilities for egress in case of fire or panic or those having
insufficient stairways, elevators, fire escapes, or other adequate means of evacuation.
I. Those that have parts thereof that are so attached that they may fall and injure members of
the public or property.
J. Those that are a fire hazard existing or erected in violation of the terms of this article or any
ordinance of this City or statute of the State of Missouri.
K. Those that because of their condition are unsafe, unsanitary, or dangerous to the health,
safety, or general welfare of the people of this City.
Mr. Helmick stated that the dangerous building process is very long and in-depth. He stated that Code
Enforcement does not go out looking for dangerous properties. Instead, they are alerted by the Fire
Department, Police Department, Department of Mental Health, Animal Control, and other agencies that
there is an issue at a property. Code Enforcement then inspects the property and issues a notice to the
owner of the property which allows them 30 days to commence action on abating the dangerous
conditions at the respective property. If no action is commenced after 30 days a hearing is called. If the
owner is reachable the hearing has to be scheduled out a minimum of 15 days out. If the owner cannot
be reached via certified mail then the hearing is published in the newspaper for 4 consecutive weeks at
least 45 days in advance of the hearing. Mr. Helmick stated that a notice goes to all involved parties
including banks with liens and others listed on the title report. At the end of the hearing, the finding of
fact is issued by the Administrative Hearing Officer. The Hearing Officer can find that in fact the property
is in violation of the ordinance and gives 30 days for the property owner to commence corrective actions
on the repairs. If the owner complies, the case is closed and the City monitors corrective actions. If the
owner is non-compliant, the City will take the following steps:
The City abates the violations:
The city receives bids and commences repairs.
• The city secures the structure and prepares for possible future abatement
• The owner may receive a summons to appear in Municipal Court for misdemeanor offenses.
• If the cost to repair is 50% or more of the assessed value of the structure the City shall
demolish the dangerous structure. Sec. 8-87. A & RSMO 67.410
Mr. Helmick stated the entire process takes 4-6 months to get to the point of City action. Due to the lack
of funding, many properties sit secured waiting for future abatement. Mr. Helmick stated that from
January 2019-January 2022, the City has declared 94 structures dangerous under Chapter 8 Article VI
Dangerous Building Regulations. Of the 94 structures:
49 remain active and in some stage of the process.
45 are closed
33 were closed due to the owner of the property commencing action and removing the dangerous
conditions
12 were abated by the City after non-compliance from the owners
2 Fire Burns
1 Unsanitary Condition
9 Structural – storm damage, neglect, structural failure
Mr. Helmick presented photos of dangerous buildings for example. Ms. Deetz asked how long the City
gives and/or works with owners to make repairs to their dangerous property. Mr. Helmick stated they
must commence an action within 30 days of receiving the notice. Mr. Helmick said if property owners
are making a good faith effort and are actively working on it, it could take some time. Mr. Helmick said
they try to let the correction period go for as long as needed without the City needing to expend funds.
Ms. Deetz asked how often do the banks step in and do anything. Mr. Helmick said that usually when
the banks get involved it's before it gets to the hearing process. For example, if the bank has a note on
the property they act very quick to contact the person that has the lien.
Ms. Deetz asked if anyone can access the list of dangerous buildings. Mr. Helmick explained that the
information is public and once it gets to the hearing process he puts it on the City website. Mr. Helmick
stated that some properties are hoarding situations and the City would like to keep those instances
private out of respect to the family. Mr. Helmick said that some of the 49 properties on the list won’t
make it to the hearing process because property owners are actively working on corrective actions.
Ms. Deetz said in the past there was talk about rental property inspections before people moved in. She
asked if there has been further discussion on this. Mr. Helmick said every year he does landlord
registration which is due at the end of January. Mr. Helmick said about 1,700 properties are rentals and
the Code Enforcement staff conducts a full exterior inspection of the properties. Code Enforcement staff
conducts these inspections from common areas and areas that are accessible to the mailman or the
public. Code Enforcement does not inspect individual units. Mr. Helmick said the City relies on the
tenants and people to report issues through the citizen portal on the City website to anonymously
report concerns.
B. Historic Preservation Code Revision Committee Update
Ms. Senzee gave explained that at the January 6th Code Revision Committee meeting, Vanessa Adams-
Harris (Tulsa, OK) spoke about what to do with historic properties that are no longer present. Ms.
Senzee stated that many grants from the National Parks Service are focused on disparate impacts that
have occurred in minority communities. Ms. Senzee stated that Tulsa, OK is at the forefront because of
the massacre that occurred in 1921 and urban development. Ms. Senzee stated that cities are
wondering what to do at the national and local levels. Ms. Reinkemeyer stated the meeting is available
for viewing on the City’s YouTube page. Ms. Deetz encouraged commissioners to attend the code
revision meetings if they are interested.
C. Preservation Month – May 2022
Ms. Senzee explained that Preservation Month is in May and then the Missouri Preservation Conference
is the following month.
D. Missouri Preservation Conference- June 13-15, 2022
Ms. Senzee explained that Jefferson City is the host city for the conference and it would be nice for the
HPC to have a presence.
E. Work Session
Ms. Deetz proposed having a work session to discuss activities and plans regarding preservation month
and the conference. Ms. Deetz said the group can also discuss other items the HPC wants to undertake
and do some strategic planning. Ms. Deetz said she will set up a poll with dates to figure out what dates
work best to hold the work session. She will also provide an agenda for the work session.
Dates to Remember
A. Next Regular Meeting Date-February 8, 2022.
Adjournment
Ms. Patterson moved and Ms. Jones seconded to adjourn the meeting at 6:56 p.m. The motion passed
unanimously.