By Bonnie Culverhouse

One possible solution to an ongoing problem with blight in the city of Minden is an administrative court. Much like a mayor’s court it is a way to solve problems while avoiding civil court on certain city matters.

“I wouldn’t preside over it,” said Minden Mayor Nick Cox. “I have no interest in that. But a municipality can have a mayor’s court that the mayor doesn’t preside over.”

The idea behind the court is to hear as many cases as possible on one day per month specifically about beautification and keeping up property inside the city limits.

“A lot of our citizens take the way their property looks very seriously, and it’s not fair to have blight in your neighborhood,” the mayor said.

Cox said the city council would appoint a judge. The court would also have a docket clerk to handle proceedings.

A Beautification Committee of “peers” – an advisory role of citizens –  would first hear the complaints and recommend to the Building Official whether the case should go to administrative court.

City of Minden special attorney Neil Irwin has been working on a structure for the system.

“If you have a neighbor that keeps their property at a very poor standard that doesn’t meet our ordinances, then as a citizen you would bring it to your councilperson, who would submit it to the Building Official,” Cox explained. “Then it could be brought before the Beautification Committee and potentially be brought to administrative court.”

Cox said the idea behind the court should be helpful.

“We are not trying to burden people who are already burdened – we understand money is tight,” he said. “It’s hard to maintain a standard of living right now.

“We are not trying to make people’s lives worse,” Cox continued. “We’re just trying to take care of our city.”

The court is for situations where homeowners or renters stack trash – tin or metal, old cars or other unsightly matter – in their front yards. It is also geared for overgrown yards and high grass.

“If you’re having a hard time, come to the court and tell the judge what your situation is,” Cox said. “Sometimes if we get church groups or citizens that need service hours, maybe we can partner up people with help. It’s not all about fines and penalties. It’s what can we do as a city and citizens to make things more appealing.”

Cox said his goal is for the administrative court ordinance to be on the council’s February agenda.