Politics & Government
Waukee Will Refurbish City-Owned Rental Property
A house purchased by the city in 2008 will need about $13,000 in repairs, but tearing it down would cost between $15,000 and $20,000. City Council members concurred that repairing the house and keeping it as a rental property was the best option.
Spending about $13,000 to renovate a two-bedroom rental house owned by the city would be preferable to tearing it down, Waukee City Council members agreed Monday.
A rough estimate on removing the structure at 10 Northview Drive is “somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000,” according to a report given by Brad Deets, Waukee’s development services director during Monday’s council meeting. The city recently evicted the occupant for not paying rent.
The city had rented the property for $500 a month to a tenant who in turn was supposed to make some minor improvements to the house. In his report, Deets notes, “The interior of the home is still in pretty bad shape, in particular the bathroom. … The majority of the issues however are cosmetic and structurally the house appears to be sound.”
Find out what's happening in Waukeewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Council member Dan Dutcher prefers refurbishing the house. “If we are going to be a landlord, we better take care of the property,” he said.
The city purchased the house for about $90,000 in 2008 in anticipation of someday tearing it down when improvements are made to a five-way intersection near the house.
Find out what's happening in Waukeewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Mayor Bill Peard agreed with council members about the need to fix the house. “No one knows when we will get to that intersection. The property needs to be improved.”
Improvements needed include refinishing the floors, some electrical work, new light fixtures and cabinet pulls; redoing the plumbing, tub/shower, toilet and sink in the bathroom and the sink in the kitchen; painting the interior, woodwork, kitchen cabinets, doors and exterior; power-washing the carport; and replacing some appliances.
Once the renovations are complete, Deets expects the city could charge $700 a month for rent, noting that the rental market is currently good. To date, rent revenue on the house has totaled $16,500 and there have been expenses for taxes, paint, supplies and appliances of $6,284, which gave the city a $10,000 profit on the property.