DEARBORN, Mo. — City officials continue to work through the process that could lead to safety inspections of rental properties located in downtown Dearborn.Residents recently raised concerns again about the housing units, which includes trailers and apartments, located on Maple Leaf Street (Z Highway). At Monday’s Board of Aldermen meeting, officials revisited the situation in an item listed on the agenda as “dangerous buildings.” They hope to draft a letter soon asking residents whether they would allow a safety inspection to assure the buildings are up to code. Those letters might need to be hand-delivered to establish permissions. The landlord, who lives out of state, has been repeatedly asked to look into the problems and provide upkeep with minimal results. The city began the task of formulating a plan to help the concerned citizens who want better living conditions. During Monday’s discussion, city officials moved toward contacting an inspector to determine available times they then could offer the residents, if they choose to allow the inspection to take place. Failed inspections could lead to the removal of occupants from those buildings until necessary repairs have been made. In new business, mayor Jamie Morey initiated discussion about the condition of certain alley ways. His concerns led to a discussion about potentially privatizing trash service for the whole city. Currently, individual residents contract removal, which leads to multiple heavy trash removal vehicles traveling down the same routes and potentially contributing to rutted out roadways.
Read the whole story in this week's issue of The Citizen.