MERRILLVILLE | Town officials appear to be intent on cracking down on unsafe homes.

Town Manager Tim Brown said a local attorney who does not live in Merrillville has expressed interest in serving as the town's public hearing officer.

The officer would conduct public hearings to either get property owners to repair their unsafe homes or have the buildings demolished.

Brown said having a public hearing officer who doesn't live in town would be helpful because the person likely would be more impartial.

He said if the officer were to decide a residence needs to be the demolished, the town could pay for the demolition and then place a lien on the property to recoup the funds.

He said the town also can have public hearings on unsafe structures such as barns and garages, but Merrillville officials currently are focusing on homes.

Town Council members last week initially discussed hiring a public hearing officer, and members were asked to come up with two properties in their wards they think could be deemed unsafe.

Town Councilman Shawn Pettit said having public hearings on unsafe properties isn't something new in Merrillville, but it hasn't been done for several years.