SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO-AM) Holding bad neighbors accountable in Sioux Falls takes time.
Mayor Mike Huether and other city officials held a news conference on Wednesday to talk about the challenges of the process they must follow to get sloppy properties cleaned up.
They used a problem property on South Dakota Avenue as an example. The first complaint about it was made June of last year. One year later, very little has been done.
"The process does seem to favor the bad neighbors over the good ones," said Huether, "so it creates quite the challenge for all of us."
“We often rely on residents to be our eyes and ears and inform us of a violation or a property that is not being maintained,” says Matt Tobias, Code Enforcement Manager. “The City is required to complete our due diligence, both with a potential violator and with the neighbor reporting it. Those steps take time.”