County leaders are looking at tackling blighted properties within the two-mile radius around Washington.
Much of Tuesday’s Commissioners Meeting was focused on discussing options to clean up properties around Washington and other municipalities in the county.
A junk yard ordinance is currently in place to prevent blighted properties; however, county leaders say there are not enough resources to enforce the ordinance outside of Washington.
Commissioner Nathan Gabhart noted the properties are an embarrassment to Daviess County and would be unappealing for someone looking to move here. He said the ordinance either needs to be repealed or amended to be enforced.
Gabhart noted that Knox County has developed a process within the last few years to deal with blighted properties around municipalities. They currently use a hired contractor to oversee those areas and maintain clean up if necessary.
Commissioner Gabhart said that Daviess County could look at copying some of that information into the current ordinance. Washington Building Commissioner Jon Casper was present at the meeting and spoke in favor of some sort of partnership to get the work done.
County leaders agreed to continue discussions on a plan of action next month.
