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Keokuk Wants To Tear Down Home

Keokuk, IA – Keokuk Code Enforcement Officer Kathie Mahoney says the home at 323 Concert Street has fallen into extreme disrepair. There is no water or electricity connected to the home.

Mahoney says the city has to clean up the property every summer. She says complaints about 323 Concert Street have been filed for years, in particular about the smell from the home.

The former owner, William Howard, no longer lives at the property. He still keeps several dogs inside the home.

Keokuk Mayor Tom Marion says the taxes on the property have not been paid in years. He says the city would like Lee County to transfer ownership.

"We want to get that building to us," says Marion, "for a minimal amount, maybe a dollar, and we want to tear it down. That building is well past its usability."

Keokuk removed 18 dogs from the property several years ago. Most had to be euthanized while the courts required the rest to be returned to the home's former owner.

Marion says Keokuk thought it had a deal in place where the city would tear down the property and the former owner would maintain ownership. He says that deal fell through.

A public hearing on the property transfer will take place during the Lee County Board of Supervisors meeting in Keokuk on Tuesday, April 20. The supervisors could make a decision after that.