Posted on 11/04/2009 10:55:10 PM PST by Chet 99
Memphis, TN - The City of Memphis tore down the wrong house and it cost taxpayers $29,000. The duplex used to be located at 1072 Garland Street. Records show Memphis Code Enforcement officers never notified the homeowner the house was scheduled for demolition.
Memphis city council member Myron Lowery says “Paying for a $29,000 house is a big hit that never should have happened. Someone made a mistake and they should be disciplined for it.”
According to city records, four years ago the city began condemning the property. Then it was sold to the current owner. Records show the owner made thousands of dollars worth of repairs.
Fred Coleman lives next door and was hired to do the work. Coleman says “It was a mess inside. We gutted the house inside, cleaned up the stuff, and painted the outside.” The house came down anyway.
Lowery says “We have too much incompetence at city government and we have too many employees that pass the buck to other employees.”
The homeowner was not living in the home at the time. He was fixing it up to turn into rental property.
Despite what is documented in city records, a city spokesperson says code enforcement followed procedures and the city paid the claim to avoid a lawsuit.
Sounds like they tore down the right house, they just didn’t let the owner know it was scheduled for demolition.
But, then again, how hard would it have been for the new owner to go to the planning office on Alpha Centauri?
Hey, at least we ain’t doing THAT in Nashville...
....yet.
Memphis has its shortcomings, that is for sure.
The Memphis police responded to an alarm at a residence, and when they arrived found two dogs, which they promptly shot.
Good going. The homeowner comes home to one dead dog and another missing, having run off terrified.
Damned hyperspacial bypasses....
Link to later article on incident.
Apparently one dog did survive after medical attention. The owner also received a text message from a party claiming to have the dog that fled and demanding money for its return. Fortunately for the pooches these cops’ combat marksmanship won’t win any trophies..
http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/oct/24/aspca-brutality-unnecessary-against-dogs/
Something seems to be in the water down in Memphis... lots of Cop Shoots Family Dog stories out of there...
NOBLE (AP) — A stray bullet fired by a police officer trying to shoot a snake hit and killed a 5-year-old boy fishing at a nearby pond, officials said.
Austin Haley was fishing with his grandfather, Jack Tracy, Friday evening when Tracy said he heard a shot and saw a bullet hit the water just a few feet in front of the boat dock where he was standing.
Moments later, a second shot was fired that hit Austin in the head.
A Noble police officer who had responded to a report of a snake in a tree apparently fired the deadly shot while trying to kill the snake, according to City Manager Bob Wade.
Tracy said he initially thought he and his grandson were under attack by someone trying to kill them, so he put the boy into the back of a 4-wheeler and drove to his daughter's house about 200 yards away.
“Then two officers came out of the brush over there,” he told The Oklahoman. “They didn't tell us they were the ones who had been shooting or that they had shot him. They didn't admit a doggone thing.”
http://www.tulsaworld.com/news/article.aspx?articleID=070805_1_A23_spanc26420
We have too much incompetence at city government and we have too many employees that pass the buck to other employees.”
DUH! Union workers. Maybe the order wasn’t written in spanish.
That is so sad. Poor little guy.
Other cities, though, have just enough incompetence and buck passing while still others have too little. Somehow the amount of incompetence and buck passing needs to be parceled out more evenly so a new state Dept. of Incompetence and Buck Passing will need to established.
Gezzz, a new quality pickup truck goes for about 50k with taxes....
What kind of house was this?
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