Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Code Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council committee advances vacancy/foreclosure registration draft; solicitor advised against graduated penalty fee
Summary
The Code Enforcement and Land Planning committee continues drafting a vacancy and foreclosure ordinance that would expand registration to include residential properties; committee discussed fee structure and settled on a semiannual flat fee in the draft pending solicitor review.
Councilwoman Rafia Razak reported that the Code Enforcement and Land Planning committee continued work on a vacancy and foreclosure registration ordinance. The committee expanded the proposed ordinance to include residential properties in addition to commercial properties to aid code enforcement in contacting absentee owners. The committee discussed registration timing and proposed increasing the application window from an initial 30 days to 90 days to be more user-friendly.
Committee members reported mixed public feedback on fees: some residents asked why a fee is charged, while others suggested charging more. The committee reviewed an ordinance sample from Wilmington, Delaware and said the borough solicitor recommended against a graduated penalty fee structure tied to repeat noncompliance. Based on that advice, the draft proposes a semiannual (twice-yearly) flat fee; committee members said the exact rate remains under consideration but that $300 semiannually was discussed as a placeholder in the draft.
The draft has been shared in OneDrive for council review and will be sent to the solicitor for further legal review. Committee members asked council colleagues to review the shared draft and to propose exemptions or changes before solicitor review and subsequent formal advertisement.
