Knox Sets Up Dedicated Unsafe Building Fund

City_of_Knox_LogoThe City of Knox now has a separate fund for building demolition expenditures and deposits. Last week the city council approved the transfer of $15,000 into a dedicated unsafe building fund. Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston says the seed money it will make for easier accounting.”

“Any kind of actions that we bring against somebody to either clean up a property or tear a property down, or any kind of an unsafe building, monies that we would need to spend would come out of that fund,” he told the city council last week.

Likewise hesays any money collected through unsafe building codes enforcement would go back into the fund.

“It’s what’s referred to as a non-reverting fund. At the end of the year the money stays in there, does not go into the General Fund. It would stay in as a fund balance. We could spend money without an appropriation and also deposit money in there, because this is according to the Indiana Code.”

That includes civil penalties and administration fees collected either by the city or through property liens.

The city has been working to demolish unsafe homes and bring others up to code.