06/06/2026
That should terrify anyone who values private property rights.
I can’t believe the City of Midland has even proposed this ordinance.
Who looked at Midland and decided the next pressing problem was giving the city more authority over the INSIDE of private homes?
Seriously.
We already have laws for health hazards, junk vehicles, weeds, illegal dumping, and properties that truly threaten neighborhoods.
Now we need government standards that reach further into private property and even into the interior condition of homes?
The city would have authority to cite you for the condition of your refrigerator door gasket, inside your home, without a complaint, without a health hazard, just because an inspector showed up. Absurd. And what if I don’t want a window screen on one of my windows? Does that make me a scofflaw?
The city does not have to wait for a citizen to report a problem.
The city becomes the complainant, investigator, the enforcer.
This should concern every homeowner, every renter, every landlord, every property owner, and every citizen in Midland.
And before someone says, “If you’re not doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about,” let me stop you right there.
The issue is not whether you have something to hide. The issue is whether government should have this authority in the first place.
Most of us maintain our properties properly because that’s the kind of people we are. But elderly or disabled folks have a tough time. With inflation, even many working people are already struggling with insurance, taxes, groceries, utilities and medical bills, they work, but they STILL may not have the money for an exterior paint job—including scraping & prep—which could run $5k–$10k. They may also not be physically able to get up on a tall ladder to DIY it themselves.
As to the INTERIOR, that is no one’s business except the homeowner. Private Property Rights, remember? Legislating the INTERIOR CONDITION automatically gives the city a free pass to come into your house and inspect.
What bothers me most is the trajectory.
History is filled with examples of governments expanding authority one “reasonable” step at a time.
Every expansion is justified as necessary, harmless, for the public good. That phrase has been used to justify government overreach for generations. And once government gets a power, it never gives it back.
The fact that this ordinance was proposed at all is the problem.
It reveals a mindset that says government should have more authority, more oversight, more involvement, and more control over private citizens and private property.
The role of government is to protect our rights, not continuously search for new ways to regulate them.
The City Council vote is Tuesday, June 9th, at 10 a.m. at City Hall, 300 N. Loraine. Show up. Let them hear from you before they hand themselves the keys to your front door.
Read it for yourself:
What to watch: The Midland City Council meets Tuesday, June 9, to consider creating a citywide property maintenance code that...
