A Decatur City Councilman is accusing a fellow councilman of claiming a condemned house as his legal residence on election paperwork.

Councilman Hunter Pepper alleges that mayoral candidate Billy Jackson listed a property that is “structurally unsafe” and uninhabitable as his qualifying address. 

According to FOX54, Pepper claims Jackson hasn’t lived at the home for some time and is using it only to meet residency requirements. He said the city should have forced Jackson to either fix the property or face demolition, per local ordinances.

Pepper also says he filed a complaint with the Alabama Secretary of State’s office and suggested city staff may have been pressured to avoid documenting the home’s condition. 

“Clearly someone is trying to cover up their tracks,” he told FOX 54. “No one, and I mean NO ONE, is above the law.”

City officials pushed back on the accusation when confronted by news media. Dane Shaw, Decatur’s Director of Development, confirmed the property is in an ongoing legal dispute with an insurance company and said the city is engaged on the matter.

Mayor Tab Bowling, who is not running for re-election, distanced himself from the situation. 

“This is being handled by our Community Development Department. I have not provided direction regarding this matter because I have confidence in our Community Development Department to properly manage,” Bowling told FOX54.

As of Friday, Jackson has not issued a public response.