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Council committee advances draft vacancy and foreclosure registration ordinance for further review
Summary
The code enforcement committee presented a draft vacancy/foreclosure ordinance that would add a residential registration requirement, propose a semiannual $300 fee (subject to solicitor review), and expand the registration window from 30 to 90 days; solicitor review and committee refinements are pending.
Councilwoman Rafia Razak summarized work on a draft vacancy and foreclosure ordinance currently in the shared drive. She said the draft expands the prior commercial-focused approach to include residential properties and recommends a semiannual registration fee proposed at $300 twice a year, though final rates were not set and the solicitor recommended against a flat fee in certain scenarios.
Razak said the committee extended the proposed registration window from 30 to 90 days to be more user-friendly and asked council members to review the draft and provide suggested exemptions or edits. She said the solicitor will review the draft and the committee will revisit the ordinance after legal guidance.
The committee also discussed rental property inspections and code-department staffing; interviews are underway to fill vacant positions. Razak asked council members to reach out with questions and noted the committee has discussed the vacancy topic since March and is seeking to balance enforcement with reduced burden on code staff.
Next steps: solicitor review, council feedback on the shared draft and further committee consideration before a formal ordinance is scheduled for a business meeting.
