SIDNEY – The Sidney Vacant Property Registration Board of Review approved the staff of the community development office’s recommendation to suspend and eventually waive vacant property fees for a property at a meeting on Nov. 29.

Charlene Nichols, on behalf of Central Business Enterprises, requested that the fees that have accrued on a vacant property at 102 N. Miami Ave. be waived so the lot can be sold to Trivium Development to convert the lot to market-rate multi-family housing. The lot was registered as a vacant property in April of 2019 and has not followed the annual re-registration process, causing vacant property fees to total $8,480. Nichols said that she never received the vacant property renewal notifications in the mail due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Board member Jim Fortkamp expressed concern about waiving the fees because then the board would be setting a precedent for any future cases. He made a motion to follow the staff’s recommendation, which was to waive the fees but require the owner to pay the $80 required fee for the costs of recording the affidavit and the subsequent release of the affidavit. Fortkamp also wanted to include that the reason for the decision was due to complications from the pandemic, and the board agreed unanimously.

The board consists of Sidney City Manager Andrew Bowsher, Deputy Fire Chief Dallas Davis, and Zoning Board of Appeals member Jim Fortkamp. During the meeting, the board elected Bowsher as the chair and Davis as the vice chair of the board.