The city-county Health Board on July 10 submitted to the county a draft update of solid waste regulations.

“These particular regulations have not been updated since the mid 1980s,” Public Health Department Director Kathi Hooper said in a July 17 interview.

Changes to regulations include increasing pentalty rates from $50 for every day of non complience to $200 per day. Clauses were also added which would allow county officials to enter a property to inspect it for violations for “the specific purpose of abating or mitigating the violation” and to take action to recover the expenses occurred in the process.

This addition means the county could demolish buildings determined to be a public health danger.

“Previously, we’ve been able to ask owners to board a building to secure it and that has often been enough,” Hooper said. “But there are some cases when owners have not complied or are uncontactable because they are out of state and debris are blowing onto neighboring properties.”

Troy Mayor Darren Coldwell supports the changes, which may help his city address ongoing issues such as Pine Tree plaza, an apartment complex which partly burned in 2013 and has been described as an eyesore and public health liability by City Council members and the public.

“There are a few other properties along the river we’d like to look at as well,” Coldwell said. “Some have been unoccupied for a decade or more.”

Hooper said there are about five buildings the county is aware of, aside from those Coldwell mentioned in Troy, which may fall under the new regulations if they are approved.

“We’re focusing on those which have burned or collapsed due to snow load, although many were not the result of last winter’s heavy snow, but may have been in this condition for three or more years, like Pine Tree Plaza,” Hooper said.

Hooper expects to see the changes go into effect by Sept. 13.

For more information or to comment, call Hooper at 406-283-2440.