Plano widow resolves code dispute after community, city intervention

Rita Rae sold her Plano home after a long code-enforcement fight that followed her through 54 years of ownership and into the week of her birthday.

The dispute began in June 2024 and centered on a nearly 1,500-square-foot house in Plano. City records listed problems including overgrown grass, rodents, structural damage, roof and garage damage, plumbing failures and black growth inside the home. A search warrant and arrest affidavit said water was leaking from the bathroom ceiling and black growth was present in multiple rooms, while Rae said the plumbing work alone was priced at between $35,000 and $45,000.

Rae said she did not have the money to fix the home on a fixed income. She also said she wanted out of harassment. Plano police entered the house through an unsecured door while she was sleeping, and her attorney said she woke up to officers already inside. Plano said her home was not in danger of a lien, but officials needed her to bring the property into compliance with health and safety standards.

Andy Trusevich, a retired attorney, took Rae’s case pro bono after her medical transport driver posted her situation on Nextdoor. Trusevich pressed the city’s handling of the matter and said he accomplished more with Rae in weeks than Plano had in two years.

Curtis Howard, Plano’s assistant city manager and neighborhood services director, said the city does not want to take people to court. “We don't want to take people to court,” Howard said. “96% of our cases, our situations, are resolved through voluntary compliance.” Plano’s Property Standards Division promotes compliance with property maintenance codes and ordinances that affect health, safety and welfare, and the city offers the Housing Rehabilitation Program for income-eligible homeowners, along with the Tool Lending Program and volunteer help through Neighborhood Services.