City of Olney and Olney Police Department seize property

The City of Olney continues to work diligently to reclaim the unsightly properties around town that have long since given citizens a sore eye.

Olney Police Department’s Chief Dan Birbeck and Police Officer Dustin Hudson (Olney’s Code Enforcement Officer), lead the way to serve the seizure order to the owner of the property. After the paper order was served, Olney city worker Lloyd Newton moved in to begin clearing the property of debris with a heavy-duty piece of construction equipment called a front loader.

Officer Hudson says the City of Olney works with property owners over time before the City Council puts to a vote whether to seize and issue an abatement warrant for the property. Officer Hudson says the property owners have plenty of time and opportunity to correct the violations before things get to the point of seizure. Chief Birbeck said he gave the property owner of this particular property an additional week past the deadline, but still the property owner was unable to bring the property up to code.

“The City of Olney has recently partnered with a code enforcement company that is going to help us maintain code across the city,” stated Birbeck. He also said the city is looking into ways to mitigate the cost of tearing down dilapidated structures and cleaning up properties because the city is running out of funds to keep this city project going. Birbeck closed the interview by saying, “Please keep your properties clean and help keep Olney beautiful.”

To report property violations, contact Olney Police Department at 940-564-5550 or contact the Code Enforcement Office at 940-564-3800. You can also stop by the Olney Police Department, Olney City Hall, or go to the City of Olney website (www.olney.tx.citygovt.org/) and click on the City Council tab where you will find a Code of Ordinances complaint form located on the right-hand side of the web page.