The Florala City Council on Monday considered taking formal steps to abate grass and weed nuisances around town, following a meeting that centered around cleaning up the town.

Councilwoman Hazel Lee, acting as mayor pro tem, responded to concerns from several council members over residential lots with “snaky grass” and “trashy lots.”

“Your property might look fine, but then you go around the corner and that person’s property is grown up,” said Councilwoman Deborah Inabinnett. “What can we do about that?”

What can be done, Lee said, is residential properties around town may be identified as having a grass or weed nuisance – either by city employees patrolling the streets or checking specific addresses at the request of private citizens. Lee said those property owners would then receive a formal notice form the city, requiring them to abate the nuisance within a certain number of days. If no action has been taken in that time frame, Lee said city workers would then abate the nuisances and bill the cost to the property owners.

“We’ve done this once before,” Lee said. “I don’t recall what the response was, but we could do it again.”

No action was taken during Monday’s meeting, but council members also addressed the concerns of citizens pointing out other areas of the city in need of work.

Alectia and Mike Sharp, residents who also own a 21,500 square foot building located at 2623 6th St., asked council members if the city could take care of several eye sores ahead of visitors to town who would possibly be interested in purchasing the structure in order to open a business.

“We are trying to entertain people who would put a lot of people to work,” Mike Sharp said. “People who would bring warehouse or factory work that could maybe employ 100 people.”

Alectia Sharp asked the council to help their odds of finding a buyer by making some basic improvements around town.

Among the concerns pointed out to council members was growth around a city sign on U.S. 331 in need of heaving trimming; a sign on Ala. Hwy. 85 that has crumbled; and trim work needed around various city curbs.

Lee said the city’s road department would handle the work.