MANSFIELD — Mansfield lawmakers voted Wednesday to adopt a new property maintenance code for residential and commercial buildings.
City council, meeting a day later than normal due to Tuesday’s Election Day, voted 7-0 to add the International Property Maintenance Code to the city’s existing laws.
The code is a set of regulations developed to establish minimum standards for the maintenance of existing residential and commercial buildings.
Council wasn’t scheduled to vote on the matter until June 3, but At-large councilman David Falquette made a motion to up the date.
Falquette expressed support for the code after an initial presentation by Adrian Ackerman, the city’s community development and housing director, last month.
“I like these international codes because there’s a group of professionals, builders and inspectors and all kinds of people that are generally making up these boards,” Falquette said.
Mansfield has used funds derived from the PRIDE tax for more than a decade to demolish and clean up deteriorated and dilapidated buildings.
Ackerman said the change will allow the city to intervene earlier and hopefully prevent properties from deteriorating past the point of repair. It could also prevent future blight and preserve more of the city’s existing homes.
“We are not bringing in requirements that are unobtainable here locally right now,” Ackerman said. “These are very basic for property maintenance.”
Ackerman told Richland Source last month the city has no immediate plans to increase the number of codes inspectors.
“We still just have our two primary inspectors that are able to work on city code (issues),” Ackerman said. “We do have our two other state-certified inspectors that can also identify things off a building (for) residential or building code.
“They are primarily working in demolitions or permit inspections, but we can call on them if we need to,” Ackerman said.
“I think there is a desire to add more inspectors (in the future),” she said.
Ackerman noted the city’s goal is not to quickly rush out and begin issuing citations.
“It gives us the ability to (tell property owners when there are problems). It also allows our inspectors to identify things with commercial properties, whereas our current code only is residential,” she said.
“It gives us more tools to identify problems before they end up in condemnation or demolition. We want to be proactive, rather than reactive.”
Ackerman and Perry said the city’s immediate goal is to help educate the public on the new guidelines and work with the community to improve Mansfield.
“We’re not looking to come out with a heavy hand,” Perry said. “We understand everyone’s in a different circumstance, but there are definitely places and properties that just are not being properly maintained, and it causes a whole host of issues for the community, for the neighborhood and things like that.
“We think this is an important first step. We’ve got other ideas, and we’d love to figure out a way to help residents with those changes.”
Council also…
- Voted to appropriate $57,292 from the unappropriated parks and recreation fund. According to the legislation, $40,000 would go to contractual services and $17,292 to supplies. A vote on the matter was scheduled for June 17; council members voted to forego additional readings.
- Voted 6-1 to approve a $18,487.40 “then-and-now” payment to Pacific Impressions. The city parks office contracted with the company in 2024 to assist with Christmas lights in downtown Mansfield before submitting a purchase order to the finance department. A vote on the request was scheduled May 20; council voted to forego further readings. At large councilman David Falquette voted against the measure.
- Voted to approve a $7,536.59 “then and now” payment to the Richland County Land Bank. The city’s permitting and development office contracted with the Land Bank to assist with environmental testing at 473 Sherman Ave.
- Voted to approve a proposal to enter into a contract with Stryker Medical of Chicago to purchase and trade in EMS equipment for the Mansfield Fire Department.
- Voted to appoint 4th Ward resident Sheila Kisor to the city’s Police Review Commission and reappoint Jack Soliday as an at-large representative. Kisor’s appointment will end Dec. 31. Soliday’s at the end of 2026.