Debris-littered, weed wild, public nuisances.

That about sums up the wretched condition of four residential properties over which City staff expects on Dec. 7 to ask the Auburn City Council for abatement authority.

Abatement authority grants the City permission to step in, cut down, remove, tidy up, and otherwise de-disgustify such properties so that the mess doesn’t morph into a hazard to the properties around. Part of the authority allows the City to board up unsecured windows or doors.

Such action only takes place after repeated efforts to get an owner to effect cleanup have failed. If the owner can be found, the City presents the cleanup bill to him or her. Additional efforts to comply are still available before expending funds on cleanup.

All four of the properties listed below are vacant and without a local person who is responsible for them:

• 901 8th St. SE: A notice to correct (NTC) issued on Nov. 19, 2015, notice of civil penalty (NOCP) on Nov. 30, owner living in China.

• 31897 118th Place SE: an NTC issued Oct. 30, 2015, NOCP on Nov. 30, owner deceased.

• 1101 Pike St. NE: an NTC issued on Nov. 16 and an NOCP on Nov. 30, 2015, owner deceased.

• 1615 M St. NE. an NTC issued on Sept. 11 2015, an NOCP on Oct. 12, owner deceased. The loan servicing company is the responsible party.

Jeff Tate, assistant director of community development services for the City of Auburn, addressed council members on the subject of prior notification at Monday night’s study session:

“Even though some of the notices do fall on deaf ears at times, we continue with other enforcement actions at the same time,” Tate said, adding that other notices include daily fines, and those come with an initial $500 fine and a $100 per day fine until the violation is remedied.

“Those are still softer costs, but these are liened against the property under a different recorded document than the hard cost incurred if we do have to clean up these properties,” Tate said.