Beatrice City Council Grants Final Approval of Adjoining Building Ordinance Revisions

BEATRICE – The Beatrice City Council has approved an amended ordinance governing the condition of adjoining buildings in the downtown area.
It calls for annual inspections of such buildings, but if an owner has proof of insurance, the inspections are once every four years.

Main Street Beatrice Executive Director Michael Sothan says most building owners are taking good care of their properties.
"Sometimes those good folks have to be inconvenienced, a little bit....hopefully not damaged, to try to get out in front of this and reduce our potential liabilities when it comes to some of the problems these properties can create when they become really dilapidated".

In recent years, one building in the 400-hundred block of court had its roof collapse and eventually was demolished. Two other buildings downtown have been condemned.
"I think there's a learning curve on our part...on the city's part, as to how to use such an ordinance. I think we've gotten better at doing that. We understand how it works and how we can use it. I think that's one way it will be more effective this time. When it came out in 2016, there was a lot of negotiations that occurred and quite a bit of it got watered down, quite frankly. So, there weren't a lot of teeth...or things that you could use in the 2016 ordinance".

City Administrator Tobias Tempelmeyer says the city’s Community Development Department wants to ensure that structures are fundamentally sound and do not pose a hazard to an adjoining property owner or the public.
"We're not looking to put people out of business or kick them out of a building...that's the last thing we want to do. We want to make sure the buildings they are in are safe and secure, not only for themselves but for the public they invite into them....and for their neighbors in the adjoining buildings".

Beatrice resident Wayne Bruns noted that commercial buildings are not the only problem when it comes to adjacent structures. He feels inspection should also apply to residential property.

Mayor Stan Wirth says that could be a topic for a separate ordinance.