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Phoenix looks to increase fees for blighted, vacant properties By Betty Reid The Republic | azcentral.com Tue Apr 9, 2013 3:44 PM Phoenix officials hope to tack on an additional $20 fee for property owners who end up in city court after refusing to clean up their blighted properties. The Phoenix City Council will consider whether to add the fee this year. If passed, the Neighborhood Services Department would create a new fund and collect an estimated $37,600 a year, which the city would pay to contractors to clean up properties citywide more quickly. The properties include homes and commercial buildings. The city has long battled blighted properties, especially since the recession, and is looking for ways to clean them faster. When you see a burned-out commercial building or a home, “that’s because it’s vacant, and the windows are busted out and people go into the structures and when it’s cold, they build fires to warm up,” said Tim Boling, Neighborhood Services Department deputy director. The city would use the new funds to fence the property, install a door, replace a window or trim the tall grass. That could help prevent squatters from getting onto the property, Boling said. Code enforcement Phoenix code-enforcement officers deal with violations involving overgrown weeds, trash and illegally-parked cars on a daily basis in some areas. In much of the city, code enforcement is complaint-based. That means residents bring potential blight issues to the notice of city officials. Once the city is contacted, officials send an inspector out within 10 business days. If the inspector finds a violation, the city alerts the owner. A majority of property owners resolve the issues. However, it takes more time for officials to resolve the issues on vacant properties. City officials have 15 days to find the property owner. They give the owner an additional 30 days to correct the violation, following state law. The department uses water records, county records, titles and the Experian Data Base system to find the owner. If the city can’t locate the property owner, or if he or she ignores the notice, officials can put a lien on the property. The city hires a contractor to board up the house and sends the case to Phoenix Municipal Court. New proposal If the City Council approves the proposal, the courts would collect the $20 and turn over the money to the department. Chris Hallett, Neighborhood Services director, said the department is using an existing law that says the city may charge property owners reasonable fees for inspections and other related issues. The department issued 1,882 civil citations to property owners in fiscal 2012, according to a report given to the council’s Neighborhoods, Housing and Development subcommittee in February. If a property owner decides to fight the citation in court, it’s up to the judge to decide the amount of the fine. If a property owner pleads guilty, they pay a $150 fine. Boling said the proposal hatched because of public pressure. People complained the city wasn’t taking care of things quickly enough. People report property to the city for varied reasons. It could be a business owner who operates his retail store near a building with 3-foot-high weeds. It might be a school official who is tired of an open, vacant property with the missing door located across the street from a school. The “house entices kids (students) to go there,” Boling said. The department may use the $20 to address the overgrown weed or buy the front door, Boling said. The collection would begin a month after the City Council approves the proposal, he said. Timing on consideration is not finalized. |
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