Complaints renewed over neglected Kimball property

KIMBALL, Tenn. - Since complaints arose about a neglected piece of property at 120 Raulston Cove Road in 2013, the Kimball Board of Mayor and Aldermen has worked to address the issue.

The city initially tried to buy the small piece of land, which includes a rundown house, but City Attorney Billy Gouger said the amount that was owed to the lender made that "unfeasible."

Later, city officials negotiated with the property owners to clean up the land so it would no longer be an "attractive nuisance," a legal term for a dangerous place that might attract children.

In August, however, the complaints about the property were renewed, and Mayor Rex Pesnell said he had noticed the property had fallen into disrepair again.

"It's not any worse," he said last month. "Before, there was access in and out of it, and they did take care of that problem. We've been down this road a couple of times on that property."

At the board's September meeting, Gouger said he had spoken with a neighboring landowner who initiated the original complaint and City Building Inspector Earl Geary about the matter.

"The current owner has had some health problems, and for that reason, the neighboring landowner said she had not wanted to push the issue," he said. "She said she would like to see somebody mow the grass and clean up the lot. That has not been done, apparently, all summer."

Gouger said after the first round of complaints in 2013, some repair work was done to remove a tree that had fallen on the house and taken down the front and back porches.

"Some of the brick and stone and some other things from the house were taken off or stacked on pallets in the back of the house," he said. "Apparently, they're still there."

Geary plans to follow up on the issue from "a building codes perspective," Gouger said.

"Anything [the city does] that would affect the value of collateral for a lending institution is going to be an issue," he said. "That was one of the things we ran into last time."

The house has been deemed to have no value, according to Marion County tax records.

The neighbor indicated she would be "very satisfied" if the city simply mowed the property.

"That's what we've been doing [for other properties] in the past," Vice Mayor Jerry Don Case said.

Pesnell said the town would mow the property soon and put a lien on it for the cost of that work.

"I've got a couple of others [properties] that need to be [mowed] anyway, so when I get those done, I can add this one to it," he said. "It will get us through the rest of this year, anyway."

Gouger said the town has been "pretty successful" collecting on similar liens in the past.

"It may take time, but eventually, we've been collecting on those over time as people have either sold, refinanced or paid their taxes," he said.

Ryan Lewis is based in Marion County. Contact him at ryanlewis34@gmail.com.

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