Letter to the editor

Why can’t Kimball attract better neighbors? Is it because our apathy is so contagious that they fit right in? In the many years I have made this city my home I have watched it steadily deteriorate with seemingly no effort to stop the blight. We have abandoned storefronts and homes. Dirt lots are overrun with weeds. Broken down homes and a desolate church are owned by careless Kimball residents who haven’t an ounce of civic pride. All these and more ruin the landscape of a once vibrant community.

I implore the city attorney, mayor, city council, local police, county commissioners, county attorney and whoever else has the authority around this town to take these civic violators to task and make them clean up their property. I’ve heard enough lame excuses over the years about why Kimball looks like it does to fill a book, but never any real solutions to fix it. Here’s one I can think of: regular, massive and punitive monetary fines. Hit these people with massive fees for keeping their pigsties within our city limits. Add it to their utility bills and their tax levies. Hand them a court summons every week and make offenders pay. And don’t let them rest. Make them pay every single month until they fix the problem, surrender the property to the city or sell the property to someone who will do something with it. City leaders have the power to make and enforce property maintenance regulations and they can prosecute public nuisance suits. And if it’s that the county authorities won’t prosecute these laws on our behalf, then turn the tables, prosecute the county.

Councilman Morrison reported at a city council meeting his conversation with the mayor of Auburn, Nebr., regarding their procedures to get property cleaned up in 90 days. Have city/county inquired about their methods, so we can adopt them?

Yes, you can hold their feet to the fire at the statehouse and force some change around here. If the cemetery is the best kept spot on the city map, then our best days are definitely behind us. Please, leaders, do something.

Maury and Becky Schuddinck, Kimball