Hoisington ? The central Kansas town of Hoisington is attacking blight with an aggressive enforcement effort aimed at making the community more attractive to businesses and families looking to relocate.

Owners of junked vehicles are hearing from police, and derelict buildings are being torn down or repaired.

“We felt our community was much more prosperous than it appears,” said city manager Jonathan Mitchell. “Some people don’t take care of their property. It is prevalent throughout the state.”

He said a lot of people have complied on their own.

“The neighbors are grateful,” Mitchell said. “We’ve got a lot of work left to do. Ideally, we work with the property owner to correct it themselves.”

Since April, two homes have been torn down and the city is accepting bids to tear down three more. The city also is working with eight or nine homeowners and one garage owner to determine if their situations can be resolved without the city tearing down the structures.

Police also have issued 70 property improvement requests for junked vehicles.

Downtown hasn’t avoided scrutiny. Don Doerschlag, city code enforcement officer, said the old barber shop was deemed unfit, but the city purchased it and is repairing it for use by a new business that is coming to town, Kindscher’s Mule Barn. Another property also has been deemed unfit or unsafe.

When a building is demolished, the city sends the bill to the property owner. If the bill is not paid in 30 days, the fee is assessed through property taxes.