SPENCER — The town of Spencer plans to file a lien on a house owned by school board candidate Vick Bost, saying he failed to reimburse the town for picking up litter and pallets on his property.

Bost owns a rental house at 604 Fourth St. The town sent a letter asking him to pick up the items in the yard to meet the town’s zoning codes. When he didn’t, town workers did it for him — on Sept. 22 — and then sent him a bill for $201.25.

Bost, a Salisbury attorney and candidate for the Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education, said he was unaware he had not paid the bill. He said he will pay it immediately.

“That was a tenant that did that,” he said. “Boy, I’ll pay that first thing in the morning.”

Bost’s property is one of many on which the town plans to file liens to reclaim costs of cleaning yards. Here’s a complete list of others pending:

• Elizabeth Harris owes $3,200 for the demolition of a house at 1308 Lee St. on Aug. 8.
• Irvan F. Harris owes $50 for the town fixing a water meter at 412 S. Yadkin Ave. on March 28.
• Glenn and Marsha Grayson owe $35 for the town picking up a bulk item at 511 S. Yadkin Ave. on Aug. 16.
• Andrew Miller owes $200 for the town mowing grass at 117 Sixth St. on May 17.
• Miller owes another $187.50 for the town mowing grass at the same address on Sept. 1.

In recent years, the Spencer Board of Aldermen has become more sensitive to residents’ concerns about rundown properties.

“We’ve become very aggressive,” Mayor Buddy Gettys said. “People spoke out about five years ago and said that was something we needed.”

Said Alderman Steve Schenk: “Over the past two to three years, we’ve taken code enforcement very seriously, and the code enforcer we have has been very good about contacting owners.”

Property owners receive one letter when a property doesn’t meet codes, codes enforcer Larry Smith said. If the problem persists, the town fixes the problem and sends a second letter demanding payment. A third letter is mailed when the issue goes before the Board of Aldermen and a fourth letter goes out after that, announcing that the town will file a lien with the Rowan County Register of Deeds.