The Decatur County Area Plan Commission voted to adopt the county's property revitalization ordinance on its second public reading, authorizing a formal process to address unsafe buildings and nuisance properties.

The ordinance transfers routine handling of blight complaints from the county building commissioner to the Area Plan Commission. Under the adopted procedure, the county will accept a written complaint, assign a designated staff member to inspect the property, and send a certified notice giving the owner 30 days to respond. If the owner does not remedy the condition or appear at a hearing, the commission may pursue court action to obtain an order permitting county contractors to abate the nuisance. The county will bill the property owner for cleanup costs; unpaid amounts may be attached to the property tax roll.

Commission staff said the ordinance largely mirrors a program already in use in neighboring Jennings County and is intended to centralize intake, inspections and budget responsibility for blight cases. Staff described the sequence to the commission: complaint form, site inspection, certified notice, a possible hearing before the commission, and then court enforcement and lien placement if cleanup costs go unpaid.

During discussion, commissioners asked only clarifying procedural questions. No substantive changes to the draft ordinance were reported since the first reading. A motion to adopt the ordinance carried and the commission recorded unanimous affirmative votes.

The ordinance will be used to begin notifying property owners on outstanding complaints and to start enforcement processes previously handled through the building commissioner. The commission and staff noted that, depending on the case, court orders or additional approvals may be required to complete enforcement.