Hurst apartment complex owner hit with higher fines for not making required repairs
The owner of the Dakota Place apartments, which has over 700 health and safety code violations, will now have to pay $1,000 per day in fines until he makes repairs that were ordered previously.
On Tuesday, the city council voted unanimously to increase the fine from $500 to $1,000 per day and also voted to hold a public hearing on Feb. 11 to discuss revoking the certificate of occupancy for the complex, meaning that people could no longer live in the buildings.
Mayor pro tem Larry Kitchens said, “I think the city has been more than patient; it’s now time for us to take action.”
The owne,r Charles Mercer, did not attend Tuesday’s meeting.
City attorney Matthew Boyle recommended the public hearing to discuss revoking the certificate of occupancy after Mercer did not comply with previous orders to repair the leaking roofs and fix other problems such as faulty plumbing, electrical systems, mold and rodents.
The Hurst Fire Department also declared that the roofs were too unsafe for firefighters.
Boyle said that about 30 minutes before the council meeting, Mercer submitted a permit to repair the roof on one of the buildings that was in the worst shape. But the roofs on the other buildings are reaching the end of their “useful lives,” according to inspectors.
“ I am disappointed to report to you that compliance has not been achieved,” he said.
City manager Clay Caruthers said in an interview that if the council decides to revoke the certificate of occupancy, there would be a time frame for tenants to move out of the complex.
Mayor Henry Wilson said the city is concerned about the safety of people who live at the Dakota Place.
“We don’t want to pull the certificate or demolish the complex. We want safety for the residents.”
Mercer was fined $16,500 in November, and was told that he could have all or part of the fine refunded if he made the repairs by Tuesday.
The problems with Dakota Place and the code violations date back to 2016 when Mercer was ordered to repair the roofs.
Mercer has said that city employees did not communicate clearly about the work that needed to be done, which slowed down his work to take care of the building repairs, and that the inspector and an engineer he hired had different opinions on getting the roofs repaired.
For instance, the city wants the roof to be replaced, but Mercer said the decking is still good.
This story was originally published January 14, 2020 at 10:09 PM.