Cullman City Council President Garlan Gudger Jr., left, and council members Johnny Cook and Andy Page confer at am April 23, 2018 meeting.

The Cullman City Council adopted an ordinance this week to address derelict and unstable structures on private property located anywhere in the city.

Citing current structures that “may cause a…blighting influence in the City,” as well as a potential “threat to the health, safety, and welfare to the citizens,” the new rules define specific structural conditions that constitute violations, and call for city building officials to take corrective steps up to and including “injunctive proceedings” in court to address nuisance structures.

The ordinance prescribes measures for recovering from property owners the cost of any cleanup or demolition action the city takes, as well as authorizes emergency action in the event is deemed by building officials to be in danger of imminent collapse.

A copy of the new regulations, Ordinance No. 2018 – 27, is available at city hall, or online at CullmanAL.gov.

In other business at its regular meeting, the council:

• Adopted a resolution awarding to Complete Construction, LLC a bid of $126,514 for a septic system installation at Cullman Regional Airport, at a 50-50 cost split with the Cullman County Commission.
• Approved a request from Karen Cook of Cook Ministries for a special event permit to hold a leadership prayer on the sidewalks around the Cullman County Courthouse for suicide awareness and prevention on Sept. 7th.
• Adopted a resolution to enter into a contract with Local Government Services, LLC for cable television franchise management services.
• Adopted Ordinance No. 2018-34 after suspending the rules on first reading, to adopt street lighting and natural gas regulations for the city.
• Adopted Ordinance No. 2018-31 after suspending the rules on first reading, to provide for the 2018 Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday for the third weekend in July.
• Adopted Ordinance No. 2018-32 after suspending the rules on first reading, to enter into a joint purchasing agreement with the Cullman County Commission.
• Adopted Ordinance No. 2018-30 to amend Ordinance No. 2015-23 establishing Officers of the City of Cullman.
• Held a first reading of Ordinance No. 2018-33 to amend the city’s business license ordinance to change the number of yard sales allowed each month from one 2-day yard sale to two 3-day yard sales.
• Held a second reading of Ordinance No. 2018-29 to annex property owned by Minuteman Construction located at County Road 702 into the city limits as R-2 Residential District. The ordinance had received a favorable recommendation from the city planning commission.