WILLMAR -- The city of Willmar will buy a dilapidated house near the downtown's east side in an attempt to remove a blighted piece of property in a well-traveled part of town.
The City Council voted 7-1 Monday night to buy the house at 125 Benson Ave. S.E., which sits on the curve of the U.S. Highway 12 downtown bypass. City staff signed a purchase agreement last week to buy the house -- contingent upon council approval -- after officials learned that the house was for sale.
Money for the $17,000 purchase will be taken from the Public Improvement Revolving Fund, with repayment to come from the 2006 budget, the council decided. The purchase was recommended by the Planning Commission and the council's Community Development Committee.
City Administrator Michael Schmit said the purchase agreement involved some "administrative initiative.'' Schmit said he drives by the building every day and saw the "for sale" sign. The house, he said, "is kind of leaning.''
He said the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency holds the mortgage, the balance of which was $17,000. Schmit said he asked Tom Amberg, the real estate agent at First Minnesota Realty of Willmar, to draw up the agreement, subject to council approval.
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Schmit said he would have liked to have had more time to discuss the purchase with the council, but he said there was some urgency because investors were looking at buying the house for rental purposes.
"By eliminating this home we propose to tear down or have moved, we can take great strides in beautifying our downtown area,'' Schmit said. "That's how bad this property is.''
Council member Rick Fagerlie said the city has an exterior maintenance ordinance, which he noted has been enforced against properties on Fifth Street Southwest, Sixth Street Southwest and Litchfield Avenue Southwest.
"I say there's a structural problem, so it probably should be condemned. The city shouldn't have to pay $17,000 for that,'' said Fagerlie. "Let Minnesota Housing do it. If they want to sell to someone else, then have (building official) Randy Kardell or an inspector red-flag it.''
Schmit said he did not know if the property should be condemned.
He said ownership situations were involved when the exterior maintenance ordinance was enforced. "Here you have a state agency holding the mortgage on a piece of property,'' he said.
"I think it's a bad precedent,'' said Fagerlie, who voted against the purchase.
Voting in favor were Denis Anderson, Bruce DeBlieck, Steve Gardner, Ron Christianson, Cindy Swenson, Doug Reese and Jim Dokken.
