COLDWATER, MI — Coldwater staff removed a proposed revision of a 2002 housing ordinance from the March 30 City Council agenda for a possible redraft after public concern and social media criticism.
The March 9 introduction of Ordinance 885, intended to address the city’s most problem-ridden properties, exposed deep concerns about trust, housing security, and government authority.
The proposal would replace Coldwater’s 2002 property maintenance rules with the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code and add a formal “dangerous building” process under Michigan housing law.
Only in severe cases — such as burned, collapsing, or long-abandoned homes — staff could designate a structure as dangerous, notify owners and other interested parties, and bring the case before an independent hearing officer with building expertise.
The hearing officer would issue findings, after which the City Council could order repairs or, as a last resort, demolition.
Owners would receive additional time to comply, and demolition costs would be billed to the property.Several residents, including rental owners, objected.
Homeowners said the ordinance lacked clear, plain-language standards distinguishing “old but livable” homes from those legally deemed dangerous.
That language is in the state law and the Maintenance Code.
Some said they already live near the edge of compliance and feared the new rules could push them into costly repairs or demolition they cannot afford.
City attorney Amanda O’Boyle said Coldwater already has the authority to demolish unsafe buildings through existing codes and the courts.
She said Ordinance 885 would actually provide additional notice and procedural safeguards.
Still, skeptics questioned whether a city-led process would feel as independent as a judge-led one, especially among residents who distrust City Hall.
Social media attacks on O’Boyle became personal and threatening.
Her husband spoke at the council meeting. “We aren’t practicing democracy in this city. We’re practicing a blood sport. There’s no right to intimidation tucked away in the Bill of Rights,” Jeffrey O’Boyle stated.
Mayor Tom Kramer responded that council members, who earn only $160 a month, are trying to act in the community’s best interest.
“Our job is to listen not just to the loudest voices,” Kramer said, “but to decide what is best for the majority and the health of our community.”
Kramer said the ordinance is meant to target abandoned, uninhabited properties that are dangerous eyesores and cost more to fix than they’re worth — not occupied homes or the tax base.
He said a redraft could allow owners to choose between the administrative process and the court if their building is cited as dangerous.
“To think we do this for any reason other than to help is either misinformed or slanderous,” Kramer said. “Our job is to listen, consider, and act in what we believe is Coldwater’s best interest.”
Contact Don Reid, dReid@USATodayCo.Com
This article originally appeared on Coldwater Daily Reporter: Coldwater pulls housing ordinance after public outcry
Reporting by Don Reid, Coldwater Daily Reporter / Coldwater Daily Reporter
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