La Villa is getting ready to clear out run-down homes across the city.

The city has already identified seven properties and is looking for more, according to La Villa City Administrator Antonio "Tony" Barco.

For La Villa resident Maria Ramirez, one empty property hits close to home. Her grandmother once lived there.

"It's been empty since 1994, and my grandmother lived there. My aunt took her with her, and she passed away in Corpus, and since then that place has been empty," Ramirez said. "You do see a lot of possums and rats and snakes have fallen here from the trees."

Barco says the seven properties identified so far are mostly on the east and northeast side of the city. Residents in those areas are raising similar concerns.

"The rodents, of course, also that other people go in there and are doing maybe illegal things and staying there without authorization from the owners," Barco said.

The city recently passed a new ordinance calling for the demolition of run-down and uninhabitable homes.

As a first step, the city plans to contact property owners to request voluntary participation in the demolition program.

"We'll be able to go into private properties with the consent of the owner and demolish a home that's dilapidated and is causing health problems to the residents in the neighborhood," Barco said.

The city says it will handle the demolition. The only cost for the owner would be a city fee and the cost of trash containers, which run about $500 each.

For owners who don't agree, Barco said the city is prepared to take action.

"For those who don't want to, we will initiate the legal process to do so," Barco said.

Ramirez says she has no say in what happens to the property her grandmother once lived in since she does not own it.

"The homes that are sitting empty make the town look ugly," Ramirez said.

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