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Committee pauses vacant‑property tax push, favors targeted enforcement and enhanced monitoring
Summary
Staff told the Law & Legislation Committee it does not recommend advancing a city‑sponsored vacant‑property tax now (polling did not meet a 2/3 threshold), and the committee directed staff to work with a small group to refine an enhanced vacant‑lot and vacant‑building registration, monitoring and enforcement program focused on nuisance properties while improving registration compliance.
City staff told the Law & Legislation Committee they do not recommend pursuing a city ballot measure for a vacant‑property tax at this time and recommended instead focusing on enhanced registration, monitoring and enforcement.
Senior planner Greta Seuss explained outreach findings and legal constraints: staff summarized stakeholder input received during recent outreach and noted a city‑sponsored tax would require a two‑thirds voter threshold; polling did not meet that threshold, and many stakeholders said enforcement and process improvements would be more effective than a new tax.
"Staff does not recommend moving forward with a vacant property tax at this time," Seuss said, noting that stakeholders emphasized improved enforcement, incentives and clearer pathways to address why properties remain vacant.
The committee then considered proposals for an…
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