MITCHELL – As the Mitchell City Council considers implementing a rental inspection program, Mayor Jordan Hanson suggested that the city first address the poor condition of its own properties before requiring rental inspections.
During the Mitchell City Council meeting on Monday, Hanson showed over a dozen photos of dilapidated city property.
“I think we need to look inward and set an example of what our city should look like,” Hanson said.
The goal of implementing an inspection program is to ensure safer living conditions in rental properties in Mitchell. When Council member Mike Bathke proposed implementing a rental inspection system in late July, Hanson said it could potentially “clean up” many problematic properties.
“A lot of people have reached out to me and argued for and against (the rental inspection). One issue that has been raised often is that the city is one of the biggest offenders in seizing properties,” Hanson said of the feedback he received after the council discussed the inspection ordinance.
Among the photos of dilapidated city property Hanson showed were sidewalks with corroding curbs and a large light pole that lay next to Cadwell Park’s softball fields.
“This is really dangerous. The light pole in Cadwell Park fell over because of lack of maintenance. That could have cost someone their life,” Hanson said of the light pole.
Adam Thury/Mitchell Republic
Hanson said many of the city’s traffic signs were rusted and the metal along the bandshell in Hitchcock Park was rusted. Some photos showed overgrown weeds along city parking lots near downtown.
The city’s nuisance management regulations state that “all metal surfaces subject to rust or corrosion shall be coated to prevent rust and corrosion, and all surfaces subject to rust or corrosion shall be stabilized and coated to prevent future rust and corrosion.” Regarding overgrown grass and weeds, according to the city’s regulations, lawns with grass and weeds that grow over 7 inches tall are considered a public nuisance.
In June, the city’s Department of Building Inspection issued violations on 12 private properties in Mitchell for overgrown grass and weeds. The violations led the city to hire local lawn care companies to mow the grass on the properties.
When city property becomes a nuisance, there is no agency other than the city itself to enforce such nuisance violations. According to monthly building code enforcement reports, no nuisance violations were found on any city property this year.
While several council members expressed support for a rental inspection program and agreed that some rental properties are in poor condition, no mention was made of city-owned property in poor condition during the July 29 work session.
Since the July 29 work session, Council has not taken any action to implement a rental inspection program.
Sam Fosness joined the Mitchell Republic in May 2018. He grew up in Mitchell, South Dakota and graduated from Mitchell High School. He continued his education at the University of South Dakota at Vermillion, where he received a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in English in 2020. During his time in college, Fosness worked as a news and sports reporter for The Volante newspaper.
