Explanation
BACKGROUND:
In the continued effort to deal with vacant and abandoned houses and structures, this ordinance creates a registration requirement for vacant structures within the recently reorganized Title 47, Nuisance Abatement.
This initiative, is derived from recommendations made by the 'Quality Neighborhoods Working Group' empowered by the city to determine the most major sources of neighborhood blight, and recommend solutions. The task group quickly determined that vacant / abandoned property within neighborhoods is a considerable blight, and made several recommendations in it's final report, including a registration requirement for nuisance buildings.
This ordinance will require owners of vacant properties to register in a "registry of neglected properties", for a fee, those properties and buildings found to be in violation of the code only after failing to comply with an order of the Code Enforcement Officer, Safe Neighborhood Review Board, or the Court. Failure to register will make the owner subject to prosecution, and may otherwise enable the city to initiate alternative action on the property to assist the community by relieving the blighting influence.
FISCAL IMPACT: No funding is required for this legislation.
Title
To create within the newly revised Title 47, a neglected property registration wherein owners of vacant properties not in compliance with city code, and after failing to comply with orders of either Code Enforcement, the Safe Neighborhood Review Board, or the Court, are required to register, for a fee, those properties and provide and maintain pertinent information with the Neighborhood Services Division, and to specify that failure to do so is a misdemeanor of the first degree.
Body
WHEREAS, vacant and abandoned houses and structures have a blighting influence on their surrounding neighborhoods and communities; and
WHEREAS, in an effort to deal with vacant and abandoned houses and structur...
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