Special to Iredell Free News

By the end of the summer, the City of Statesville will have its first ever housing inventory completed. This record of nearly 10,000 houses will be used by the Planning Department in future decision-making and as an aid in developing priorities for housing-related issues.

The inventory is being conducted by Planning Department staff with the help of Recreation and Parks staff, and involves driving by every residential structure within the city limits.

The city’s IT staff developed a special software program that allows the inspectors to instantly record the condition of each house, noting whether it is in compliance with the city’s minimum housing code or whether it appears to need repairs or may be abandoned.

The report will also list the owner of the property, any reported liens or back taxes, and background on prior maintenance issues.

The staff members conducting the inventory will be driving in a marked City of Statesville vehicle and will have their employee identification. If needed, they may exit the vehicle to take a photo of the structure.

Already, more than 5,000 houses have been inventoried. Handling the project in-house has saved the city tens of thousands of dollars based on cost estimates received from private research companies.