Salem committee advances ordinance tightening rules, fees for vacant and abandoned properties

The Salem City Council Committee on Ordinances and Legal Affairs on May 15 voted to forward an amended ordinance to the full council that expands the city’s authority to register and enforce maintenance of vacant and abandoned properties.

The committee voted to send the draft ordinance to the council with a positive recommendation after adopting staff redlines and removing the phrase “up to” from the fine language; Councilor Cohen made the motion, seconded by Councilor Morozoa, and the motion carried.

The measure, as presented by James Welock, assistant city solicitor, replaces a foreclosure-triggered registration with a definition that captures any real property “not legally occupied and not the subject of an active building permit” and adds a separate category for properties with broken windows or unlocked doors remaining for more than 45 days. Welock said, “The target of this ordinance is those properties aren't being maintained, that are a nuisance and a blight to the neighborhood.”

Under the proposed rules, owners of vacant properties would be required to register the property, post contact information on the property, and keep that contact information updated so city inspectors and first responders can reach a local agent. Welock said the posted contact must enable the city to have a local point of contact who can “address any major concern within 24 hours of a phone call.” Failure to maintain required contact information or to respond to the city would be a violation punishable by a $300 daily fine; the committee agreed to set the penalty at $300 per day.

City staff said the registration fee model was adjusted because the existing $300-per-year fee did not cover staff time and interdepartmental responses. Vula, a city staff member who presented a cost analysis, told councilors that responding to a single abandoned property can require 5–40 staff hours per year depending on calls and compliance and that police, fire, health and inspectors often respond repeatedly to the same address.

The ordinance would make registration fees a municipal lien if unpaid and formalize an administrative appeal to the municipal hearing officer under chapter 40U; the hearing officer’s decisions can then be appealed to a court of competent jurisdiction. Welock explained the appeal route and said the process would not replace existing remedies such as violation tickets, receivership, or problem-property coordination meetings involving police, health and fire departments.

Councilors pressed staff on several implementation details during the committee discussion. Points raised included: - Whether condemned nonresidential buildings and vacant schools would be covered: Welock and staff said the ordinance’s definitions include properties vacant for 45 days or more and that the broken-windows criterion would capture many troubled institutional properties, but staff noted they were not familiar with the classification of specific sites mentioned by councilors. - How registration data would be shared with police: staff said existing problem-property meetings coordinate responses and that a software solution to share property status with first responders (accessible via in-car computers) would be a future improvement. - Receivership and time to remedy: staff noted the registration would help compile ownership and contact information needed to pursue receivership and reduce delays from attempting to locate owners for court notice.

The committee packet and discussion also clarified enforcement mechanics: failure to maintain required conditions under section 12-69 would be a separate daily offense, and the municipal hearing officer will adjudicate classification and duration appeals. Staff said several properties are already in receivership and that increased fees and a registration database should both improve compliance and provide funds to abate urgent hazards, with the city placing liens to recoup costs when it uses municipal funds to remediate a property.

The committee’s positive recommendation moves the ordinance to the full Salem City Council for further consideration and a possible final vote.

The committee recorded public comment in the meeting; Justin Whittier, a resident, urged the city to retain exemptions and protections for places such as churches and to consider affordability and municipal interests when finalizing regulations. Several councilors emphasized receivership and interagency coordination as key tools for addressing long-term abandonment.