Section 657A.3. Interested persons — opportunity to abate public nuisance.

  1.  Before appointing a receiver to perform work or to furnish material to abate a public nuisance under this chapter, the court shall conduct a hearing at which the court shall offer mortgagees of record, lienholders of record, or other known interested persons in the order of priority of interest in title, the opportunity to undertake the work and to furnish the materials necessary to abate the public nuisance. The court shall require the person selected to demonstrate the ability to undertake promptly the work required and to post security for the performance of the work. All amounts expended by the person toward abating the public nuisance are a lien on the property if the expenditures were approved in advance by the judge and if the person desires the lien. The lien shall bear interest at the rate provided for judgments pursuant to section 535.3, and shall be payable upon terms approved by the judge. If a certified copy of the court order that approved the expenses and the terms of payment for the lien, and a description of the property in question are filed for record within thirty days of the date of issuance of the order in the office of the county recorder of the county in which the property is located, the lien has the same priority as the mortgage of a receiver as provided in section 657A.7.

  2.  If the court determines at the hearing conducted pursuant to subsection 1, that no interested person can undertake the work and furnish the materials required to abate the public nuisance, or if the court determines at any time after the hearing that an interested person who is undertaking corrective work pursuant to this section cannot or will not proceed, or has not proceeded with due diligence, the court may appoint a receiver to take possession and control of the property. The receiver shall be appointed in the manner provided in section 657A.4.

85 Acts, ch 222, §3