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Ordinance committee begins drafting vacant-buildings ordinance after council deferral
Summary
The Charles Town Ordinance Committee began drafting a vacant-buildings ordinance (item 2025-918) after council deferral, discussing definitions of "vacant," graduated fees, exemptions for active renovations, and how fee revenue must be used to support the program.
The Ordinance Committee opened initial work on a vacant-buildings ordinance that had been deferred by the city council, focusing on definitions, enforcement tools and how collected fees could be used.
Staff (speaker 2) said they had surveyed ordinances from other West Virginia cities and would share the examples with the committee; members discussed defining vacancy (for example, utility cutoffs for a specified number of days), distinguishing dilapidated or dangerous properties from ones that are merely unused, and tailoring penalties so they were not punitive for low-income residential owners. Members cited examples used elsewhere — including a per-day fee used in Morgantown (noted as $20 per day in one example) — and emphasized the need to craft exemptions for active renovations and avoid creating inequitable burdens.
The committee agreed to continue work outside a formal meeting, collect sample ordinances and return with suggested language for public committee review. No formal ordinance or vote was adopted during the meeting.
