Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Collections Liens Special Tax Bill topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances bill to let city certify abatement costs, convert them to liens or special tax bills
Summary
Board Bill 171, intended to strengthen collection of unpaid fines and city-borne abatement costs, was advanced out of committee. The measure clarifies certified costs for demolition, repair, board-up, cleanup and police security and enables conversion of those costs into special tax bills or liens to aid collection.
The Public Safety Committee advanced Board Bill 171 as amended, a companion measure designed to improve the city’s ability to collect unpaid fines and costs tied to abating nuisance or vacant properties.
The bill clarifies that the cost of demolition, repair, board-up, security measures, cleanup and related police security (if provided) may be certified by the Building Commissioner and, if unpaid, converted into collection mechanisms such as liens or special tax bills added to real estate tax statements. Sponsors and the Building Division described the change as a critical improvement in collection tools that will complement the new fines and penalties in Board Bills 169 and 170.
Committee action and amendments: Committee members adopted an amendment to set the bill’s effective date to Sept. 1, 2025, and a separate amendment clarified the list of certifiable costs (repair, board-up, security measures, cleanup, and police security during those operations). A roll call on one amendment recorded five aye votes when the previous-roll procedure was invoked; the committee subsequently advanced the bill out of committee with a due-pass recommendation.
Why it matters: Commissioner Ware told the committee the change will provide multiple approaches to collection: the cost can be added to the annual real-estate tax bill or pushed through the comptroller’s special tax bill process. "What I like about the alderwoman's bill is, the cost can be either added to the annual real estate bill and or if they want to, sent to the office of the comptroller to be pushed into the special tax bill," Ware said. The measure is intended to give the city alternatives to repeated reinspection and municipal-court processes that staff and advocates say often do not recover delinquent fees.
Supporting testimony: Retired Sergeant John McLaughlin, who coordinates problem-property work with the Building Division, said the bill "fills up our toolbox" and will help hold problem property owners accountable. Public witnesses including Peter Hoffman (Legal Services) and community housing advocates testified in support, saying better collection and enforcement tools are needed to address absentee owners and persistent nuisance properties.
Outcome: The committee adopted the sponsor amendments and passed Board Bill 171 as amended out of committee with a due-pass recommendation. One amendment vote was recorded with five aye votes on the record; other actions were advanced via previous-roll/no-objection procedures where recorded.
Next steps: Sponsors said departments will need to coordinate with the comptroller and the Building Division to implement collection changes and to establish appropriate operational procedures before the Sept. 1, 2025 effective date.
