All vacant structures in Nome must now be registered and maintained. The City Council established a vacant structure registry at its meeting on Monday.
The Council heard a string of comments from the public, many of which addressed the cost of registry. Now any structure left vacant for more than nine consecutive months must be registered for a $25 fee.
Other public comments suggested it was just another form of unnecessary government oversight, like the one from local accountant Mark Johnson.
“We have to remember why we all live here,” Johnson urged. “We choose to live where we live, and one of the reasons why is for freedom and for maybe not having the city make rules that are difficult to live by.”
But that didn’t sway the Council. The issue of abandoned buildings has plagued the city for years, and last night, it was ready to make a change.
Councilman Matt Culley expressed his support for the registry.
“I’m tired of our town that has such potential to be a nice beautiful, quaint place, having junk,” Culley said.
Along with being registered, all vacant structures must be free of junk, graffiti, and properly boarded up.
Despite recommendations from the Planning Commission, the City Council voted against adopting the International Property Maintenance Code.
