Superior won’t be taking legal action against a Billings Park woman to clean up her property after reaching an agreement to bring the property in compliance with city code.
If the property is maintained in compliance with city code for a year, the city would seek to waive fines totally more than $1,900 for citations issued.
In October, City Attorney Frog Prell took the extraordinary step of seeking council approval to obtain a court injunction to give the city the tools to address debris on Karen Strewler’s property.
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While the council approved that measure Oct. 20, Prell said he won’t be seeking the injunction now that a stipulation agreement has been reached.
Under the terms of the agreement, Strewler entered a plea of no contest to three of the 15 citations issued this year for prohibited storage and failure to keep her property free of refuse. The remaining citations were previously resolved.
Fines levied for the new charges total more than $1,700, and she would get a reprieve on those fines if the property remains code compliant through Dec. 1, 2021.
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“It’s an incentive, where I spell out our expectations,” Prell said.
Prell and Code Compliance Officer Lee Sandok-Baker walked the property with Strewler’s attorney to point out the things that would have to be cleaned up. Then he drafted the stipulation agreement, which was signed late last week, he said.
Strewler has until noon Tuesday, Dec. 15, to restore the exterior of her property to code compliant condition, and she must maintain that condition through Dec. 1, 2021.
“If she’s out of compliance all bets are off,” Prell said. “The old fines come back, and she’s vulnerable to the processing of new charges.”
