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Home My WebLink About11065 City Clerk's Office Item # S5 Background Paper for Proposed Ordinance COUNCIL MEETING DATE: October 27, 2025 TO: President Mark Aliff and Members of City Council CC: Mayor Heather Graham VIA: Marisa Stoller, City Clerk FROM: Lisa Macchietto, Assistant City Attorney SUBJECT: AN ORDINANCE ELECTING TO CERTIFY ABATEMENT ASSESSMENT ROLL NO. 2025-1 TO THE COUNTY TREASURER AND TO HAVE THE COUNTY TREASURER COLLECT IN THE SAME MANNER AS OTHER TAXES SUMMARY: Attached is an Ordinance by which City Council is electing to certify to the County Treasurer certain abatement liens that have remained unpaid for more than six months. All abatement liens certified to the County Treasurer will be collected in the same manner as other taxes. PREVIOUS COUNCIL ACTION: On September 14, 2015, City Council approved Ordinance No. 8917, which provides for the assessment of abatement costs. Since that time, Council has routinely every August by resolution directed the appointment of a hearing officer and set a hearing date. In addition, Council every year approves the final abatement assessment roll via ordinance. On July 22, 2019, Council approved Ordinance No. 9502 which amended the notice of hearing and protest deadlines by expanding each by five days to create more time between the protest filing deadline and hearing date. On August 11, 2025, City Council approved Resolution No. 16082 which set the hearing on protests for September 12, 2025, at 9:00 A.M. and directed the Mayor to appoint a hearings officer. BACKGROUND: On or about July 2015, City Council became aware that the City had over $600,000 in unpaid weed and trash abatement liens. In the past, the City did not generally recover the amount owed for a weed or trash lien unless and until the property affected was sold or transferred. The majority of the outstanding liens are for relatively small amounts and therefore, it is not cost effective to collect the amounts owed through civil litigation or foreclosure. All of the outstanding liens resulted from costs actually incurred and paid by the City to remove weeds and trash from the properties subject to the liens. All of the liens that the City seeks to certify to the County Treasurer by this Ordinance have been outstanding for more than six months. Most of the liens have been pending since late 2023 and throughout 2024. Pursuant to Colorado Revised Statute §31-20-105, any municipality, in addition to the means provided by law, if by ordinance it so elects, may cause any or all delinquent charges, assessments, or taxes made or levied to be certified to the treasurer of the county and be collected and paid over by the treasurer of the county in the same manner as taxes are authorized to be collected. Certifying the weed and trash abatement lien assessments to the County Treasurer is a more efficient method to collect the amounts owed. FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS: The cost of the weed and trash abatement has already been incurred by the City. Certification of the abatement lien assessments to the County Treasurer is anticipated to increase the amount collected by the City for the liens. BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: Not applicable to this Ordinance. STAKEHOLDER PROCESS: Not applicable to this Ordinance. ALTERNATIVES: Council may choose to deny the Ordinance in which case the City will continue to collect the liens by other means. RECOMMENDATION: Approval of the Ordinance. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Report of Abatement Lien Assessments dated 10-2-2025 2. September 15, 2025 ORDINANCE NO. 11065 AN ORDINANCE ELECTING TO CERTIFY ABATEMENT ASSESSMENT ROLL NO. 2025-1 TO THE COUNTY TREASURER AND TO HAVE THE COUNTY TREASURER COLLECT IN THE SAME MANNER AS OTHER TAXES BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF PUEBLO, that: SECTION 1. The City Council of Pueblo, a municipal corporation, pursuant to the provisions of Section 31-20-105 of the Colorado Revised Statutes and Chapter 8 of Title VII of the Pueblo Municipal Code, hereby acknowledges receipt of the Report of Abatement Lien Assessments dated October 2, 2025, attached hereto. SECTION 2. A hearing was scheduled at 9:00 A.M. on September 12, 2025, in the City Council Chambers at which time any protests or objections to the lien assessments were heard. Any person interested in or affected by a proposed charge and who filed a written protest with the City Clerk on or before 5:00 P.M. on September 5, 2025, had the ability to present testimony and evidence at the hearing. SECTION 3. 5:00 P.M. deadline. Eight of the fourteen protestors appeared for the protest hearing on September 12, 2025, at 9:00 A.M. The hearing officer filed a written report regarding the hearing on September 15, 2025, and the same is attached hereto. SECTION 4. The Code Compliance Unit Supervisor is directed to thereafter prepare an Assessment Roll, showing in suitable columns for each piece of land assessed: the property Parcel number, assessed owner, complete mailing address and/or post office box number of the assessed owner, complete and accurate legal description, and the amount to be collected, and deliver the same to the Director of Finance. The Director of Finance is directed to thereafter certify and deliver the Assessment Roll, together with a copy of this Ordinance certified by the City Clerk under seal of Pueblo, a Municipal Corporation, to the County Treasurer, therein showing all payments made thereon, with the date of each payment, together with her warrant for the collection of same. The County Treasurer is requested to receive the same, and such Assessment Roll shall be numbered as follows: ASSESSMENT ROLL NO. 2025-1 SECTION 5. The County Treasurer is requested to receive payment of all assessments and interest appearing upon said Assessment Roll. In case of default in payment of any assessment when due, the County Treasurer is requested to advertise and sell any of the property concerning which such default is suffered, for the payment of the whole of the unpaid assessments thereon. Said advertisements and sale shall be made at the same time, in the same manner, under all the said conditions and penalties, with the same effect as are provided by general law for sales of real estate in default of payment of taxes. SECTION 6. Any person may pay the City for any assessment hereby certified on the Report of Abatement Lien Assessments dated October 2, 2025, with accrued interest and applicable filing fees, up to the date the Report is certified to the County Treasurer. The Report of Abatement Lien Assessments dated October 2, 2025, may be certified to the County Treasurer any time after October 28, 2025. Any such payments shall be made at the City of Pueblo Finance Department. All monies received for the payment of assessments shall be deposited into the General Fund. SECTION 7. The officers and staff of the City are directed to perform any and all acts consistent with the intent of this Ordinance to effectuate the policies and procedures described herein. SECTION 8. This Ordinance shall become effective on the date of final action by the Mayor and City Council. Action by City Council: Introduced and initial adoption of Ordinance by City Council on October 14, 2025. Final adoption of Ordinance by City Council on October 27, 2025. ____________________________ President of City Council Action by the Mayor: Approved on _______________. Disapproved on ______________ based on the following objections: ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________ Mayor Action by City Council After Disapproval by the Mayor: Council did not act to override the Mayor's veto. Ordinance re-adopted on a vote of ____________, on _____________ ____________________________ President of City Council ATTEST ________________________________ City Clerk