A neighbor who lives next door to a vacant house at 207 Butler St. told the Macon City Council on Tuesday that the building is collapsing toward her home, where her children live.
"It's right next to my house, and it's caving into my house, and it's going to fall into my house with children," she said. She said she had sent "thousands of emails, pictures" to try to get help. "I am terrified," she said.
A council member who led the discussion said he had talked with code enforcement about the house several months ago and that the owner had not been back since taping it off in July. He said the council agreed that if the owner does not respond and the city has the legal right, the city should hire someone to tear the house down on an emergency basis. He said the city's attorney must first sign off on the legal questions "because we don't want to get sued." He said the city would try again to reach the owner Wednesday morning. The council took no formal vote.
In other business, the council approved on first reading an amended fireworks ordinance allowing fireworks to be set off from 6 p.m. Dec. 31 to 1 a.m. Jan. 1. One council member said sellers should pay a single annual license fee.
The council accepted a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant worth about $40,000, including a city match of just under $2,000. A fire department official said the grant will buy about 18 new nozzles and about 70 sections of small-diameter hose, letting the department switch to lower-pressure nozzles that are easier for firefighters to handle.
The council also approved the sale of the city's surplus fire engine on the only sealed bid received, $37,500.