Sedalia City Council Discusses Mandatory Building Inspections

The Sedalia City Council held a special meeting Monday night (Oct. 29) to present a draft for an ordinance on mandatory building inspections for downtown buildings. Following a presentation of the ordinance by Sedalia City Administrator Gary Edwards, Sedalia Mayor Elaine Horn asked for comments from the downtown building owners in attendance.

Comments from the owners were both supportive of the ordinance and against it, with those against the ordinance citing privacy issues and the rights of owners to decide if they want inspections. Those for the ordinance cited safety issues in light of buildings that have already fallen down due to lax maintenance by owners.

The council is also split on the ordinance and did not vote on it Monday night, deciding instead to send it back to staff for some revisions.

KSIS talked to Sedalia City Administrator Gary Edwards about the ordinance after the meeting. Listen to the interview below.