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Council introduces vacant-property registration and fees; first readings advance
Summary
Council read several related ordinances that would create an unoccupied and vacant property registration program, definitions, and a graduated fee schedule; proponents framed it as a safety and housing-reuse tool while the mayor and commissions supported analysis and outreach.
Athens City Council held first readings Oct. 6 on a package of ordinances to establish a registration program and fees for unoccupied and vacant properties.
Council Member Alan Swank introduced Ordinance 103-25 (establish unoccupied and vacant property registration), Ordinance 104-25 (definitions to support the registration chapter), and Ordinance 105-25 (fees for unoccupied/vacant residential and commercial properties). Swank described the program’s purpose as “to establish a program for identifying and registering unoccupied and vacant residential, commercial, and industrial buildings and structures, determine responsibilities of owners of vacant buildings and structures, and to speed the rehabilitation of vacant properties and buildings for productive use.”
Under the proposed fee schedule read into the record, residential-unit registration fees would escalate by year of vacancy: Year 1 $300; Year 2 $600; Year 3 $1,200; Year 4 $2,400; Year 5 and each year thereafter $4,800. Commercial and industrial fees were higher (Year 1 $600; Year 2 $1,200; Year 3 $2,400; Year 4 $4,800; Year 5 and each year thereafter $9,600).
Mayor Patterson signaled support for the measure’s aims and urged council to weigh the economic-development loss from buildings sitting vacant while noting the fees may seem high to some residents. He said, “vacant residence... could house a young professional... you start I look at things through that lens. What is the revenue lost?” Council Member Spillanez (Spillness in transcript) and others framed the proposal as a safety and neighborhood-protection tool, citing risks such as squatters and fires.
Council read the ordinances for the first time; no final votes were taken on these three items. Swank noted the ordinances are new and require definitions and fee language to be codified for enforcement and later readings. The item will return for additional readings and possible amendment after committee review and stakeholder input.
Clarifying notes on the record: Swank said there are currently “7 or 8” vacant properties on East State Street as examples of the problem the ordinance seeks to address. The administration reported input from the Affordable Housing Commission and Westside Community Association, both of which provided feedback during drafting. Legal and enforcement details, funding for enforcement, and specific timelines for implementation were not finalized and were left to subsequent committee work.
