The city is having trouble making contact with a building owner who vowed to raze a property destroyed by 2014 fire, so council members will once again consider spending $100,000 to do the work.
City council members Monday will weigh allocating $100,000 toward abatement of the 853 San Benito St. building destroyed in a March 2014 fire. The council meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Monday at Hollister City Hall, 375 Fifth St. They had the same consideration before them in October, but wanted to give the owner time to clear the site.
In a report for Monday’s meeting, the city claims its attempts to reach building owner Tim Lantz have been unsuccessful.
Officials will consider the expenditure in light of what the city in a staff report calls “obstructive” behavior by the owner, Lantz. According to the city report on the matter, Lantz shortly after the fire admitted he had been living in the structure at the time of the blaze and he had denied requests by the city to inspect the site before the incident occurred.
Lantz previously responded by calling the city’s actions a “witch hunt.”
