Fairburn officials decided Monday night to get a little tougher on unsafe building.

The council passed an ordinance that gives city officials a bit more power to close or demolish unfit buildings that could pose a health hazard to the citizens.

The ordinance also applies to private property where an accumulation of weeds, trash, junk, filth and other unsanitary or unsafe conditions creates a public health hazard or a general nuisance to people living nearby.

If the city receives a complaint on a building or notices property in disrepair, a representative of the city will notify the owner of the property.

After examining the property, the official will issue a statement advising that if the required action as determined by the city is not commenced within or completed by the time specified, the building will be ordered vacated and posted to prevent further occupancy until the work is completed.

If the building or structure is to be repaired, the notice will require that all necessary permits be secured and the work started within 60 days and continued to completion within such time as the city determines.

If the building or structure is to be demolished, the notice will require that the premises be vacated within 60 days, that all required permits for demolition be secured and that the demolition be completed within such time as determined reasonable by the city.

The city also will have the power to post notices on the property stating that the building is unsafe and occupancy has been prohibited by the city.

The notice will remain posted until the required repairs are made or demolition is completed.

Before posting the building, the city has the option of repairing the building to the extent required to render it safe. The cost of repair or demolition would then constitute a lien on the property and be collected in a manner provided by the law.

City Administrator Tony Cox said the new ordinance allows property owners to appeal the city's decision to the Planning Commission. If the owner does not agree with the Planning Commission's decision, the next step would be Superior Court.

"If somebody's trying to fix the property, we'll definitely work with him," he said.