Tuesday evening's City of Winona Board of Aldermen meeting commenced with a public hearing concerning two properties facing potential condemnation proceedings. The first property, located at 119 Branch Street in Ward 4, Alderman Charles Harris's ward, belongs to Patricia Campbell Castro, an out-of-state resident who joined the discussion via telephone. The property had previously faced condemnation proceedings, but the Board had removed it from the list at that time to allow one of Castro's siblings, who was the contact person, an opportunity to address the issues and clean up the property. However, no progress has been made since then.
“I have pictures of buzzards roosting in the house. A lady sent me a picture two days ago of raccoons in the house. It’s horrible,” Alderman Harris explained.
Castro said that she was unaware that time had been granted in the past. “If I can have time, I can have somebody to come down and do that, but I didn’t have the authority to do anything like that from the other siblings,” Castro said.
Alderman Harris explained that neighboring residents have been persistently raising concerns about the property, prompting him to seek a resolution. While he proposed granting Castro a 30-day extension, Alderman Harris made it clear that if no progress is demonstrated within that timeframe, the condemnation process will proceed as planned. If the property is not in compliance by July 16, the Board will vote on it again. Alderman Harris made the motion to give Castro until July 16 to get the property in compliance. Ward 1 Alderman Mickey Austin seconded; all were in favor.
The second was the property of Thelma C. and Laveda M. Purnell, located at 117 Branch Street. The property owner was not in attendance. Alderman Harris made the motion to proceed with the condemnation process. Ward 2 Alderman Travis Johnson seconded; all were in favor.
After addressing the other agenda items, the Board Room was cleared to prepare for the arrival of the Election Commissioners, who would be tasked with counting the ballots from the runoff election for the Ward 3 Alderman seat contested between Katrina Bays and Archie Flowers. As the candidates, media, and city officials watched the ballot counting process unfold, it became evident that the race was excruciatingly close.
The unofficial results currently show a tie, with both Bays and Flowers securing 56 votes each. However, the outcome hangs in the balance, as five outstanding absentee ballots remain uncounted. Absentee ballots that are mailed in must be postmarked by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18, and they must be received within five business days, which, due to Wednesday being a federal holiday, means they will be accepted until the following Wednesday, June 26. This is when the Resolution Board will count the remaining ballots and we will have an official result.
