Blight in and near downtown Mackinaw City will be the subject of a special Village Council meeting immediately after the council's next scheduled session Thursday, December 4. The issue is of concern to Village President Ron Wallin, who said November 20 that "it just seems that now is the time to step up to the plate and do something about this."

Mr. Wallin said he has identified at least 10 houses and commercial buildings, including motels and abandoned service stations, that he said contribute to the blight. All, he said, are "beyond the point of rehabilitation."

"There are holes in the buildings, roofs are collapsing, and animals are running in," he told council members.

The village does have a blight ordinance but it is used mainly to order owners to clear yards of unsightly debris and doesn't give the village the authority to condemn property, said Village Manager Jeff Lawson.

"The ordinance doesn't give a clear step to that," he said.

Owners typically react to a notice from the village by doing only what it required of them, removing junk from yards, for example.

Mr. Wallin said he understands that some owners of blighted property simply don't have the money for proper maintenance, but the village should nonetheless "move more aggressively" in dealing with their owners.

"Now I'm not talking about every little possible violation," Mr. Wallin said. "This has gone on for years, decades. Blight destabilizes neighborhoods. You don't want to live next to blight."