City launches fight against blight

The city of Havre is starting an effort to fight the spread of blight.

Civic and business leaders met with City’ Council’s Ordinance Committee Wednesday night to figure out the best way eradicate deteriorating apartment buildings and, in some cases, commercial establishments,

The fight against blight is “the most important issue in the city,” said Debbie Vandeberg, executive director of the Havre Area Chamber of Commerce, and urged city leaders to take action. “Even before chickens,” she said, alluding to the recent unsuccessful effort to allow people to have chickens in their yards.

People bemoaned the fact that several once nice and in some cases historic apartment buildings have been allowed to slip into blight.

Realtor Kim Cripps said she often takes customers to look at homes they are interested in buying. While they may like the home, she said, they are scared off by the neighboring properties.

The properties are often but not always owned by out-of-state companies, speakers said.

The committee spoke of a couple of approaches to the problem.

Ordinance Committee Chair Andrew Brekke proposed a downtown Tax Increment Financing District that would enable the property owners to assess themselves. The money would be used to fight blight.

He said the money could be used not only on decrepit buildings, but also on buildings that appear tidy but may have structural problems.

Vandeberg suggested that the TIF district include everything from 7th Avenue to Montana Avenue and as far south as 3rd Street,

Committee members are considering strengthening the city’s laws against blight, but predicted a tough road ahead on that point.

Because Havre does not have a city charter, its authority may be limited, Brekke said.

City officials have been stymied for years in efforts to curb deteriorating housing, Mayor Tim Solomon said.

He said one property owner fought city efforts even though the building was burned out, uninhabitable and beyond repair.

The mayor said it took three years of legal wrangling before the building was demolished.

Vandeberg said it is frustrating that people can be fined if their grass grows too tall, but it is impossible to do anything to property owners who let their properties become eyesores and threats to the neighbors.

Dr. Erica Farmer, who with her husband, Dr. Marc Whittacre, rehabilitated the Havre Historic Post Office, said she was baffled as to why people would invest money in a property and then let it deteriorate, spending money on legal fees to fight the city.

But Brekke predicted that no matter what course the city takes, some property owners will go to court, fighting any effort to eradicate blight.

Judges have ruled that as long as there is a fence around a deteriorating, vacant building, the city has no say about its future.

Fences are often torn down and the property becomes a threat to children, city officials said, but as long as the property owners fix the fence, they get off the hook, city officials said.

Whitacre said he was worried about some historic buildings that may be endangered.

He said the historic Masonic Temple on 3rd Avenue “has one foot on a banana peel.”

Committee members will look into the matter in more detail, and it will be discussed by a group that is looking at the future of downtown Havre, it was agreed.