THE TRENTONIAN. January 1, 2015. CITY MOVES TO EXPAND REACH OF VACANT STRUCTURE ORDINANCE. City Council will vote next week on an amendment to the Vacant Structure Ordinance proposed by the Department of Housing and Economic Development. The ordinance in its current form requires owners of vacant properties to register same with the City and requires the owner to pay an annual fee starting at $250.00 and escalating each year that the property remains vacant to a maximum of $1,000.00 or 5% of its assessed value, whichever is greater. A property assessed at $50,000.00 could potentially cost the owner $2,500.00 per year. The ordinance as currently written is a good start opined Director Monique King Viehland, but does not go far enough. These properties are owned by people and financed by lending institutions who have been foolish enough to believe that investing in Trenton makes sense for both the owner and the lender, as well as for the City itself. The properties have been rented to tenants who cannot or will not pay rent, causing the owners to finally evict them, often after extensive damage has been done to the property. As these properties go vacant they become targets of vandalism, culminating in the theft of their copper piping and even their heaters and hot water heaters. Ultimately, the owner must board and secure the property so as to at least maintain their fire insurance coverage. The owner must then continue to pay the mortgage and taxes, without benefit of rental revenue, to retain ownership of the property. Despite the operation of these socio-economic forces, some owners continue to persevere, thinking there will be a turnaround. This of course stands in the way of our ultimate goal to turn operation of the City over to the state, hopefully to see the benefits Camden has enjoyed through the surrender of their sovereignty. The proposed amendment to the ordinance would expand the definition of structures. Presently, on its face, the ordinance applies only to the main dwelling structure, said King-Vielhand. As amended, the ordinance would apply to all structures on the premises to include garages, sheds and garbage can enclosures. In this fashion, there is the potential to double, triple or even quadruple the penalty for investing in the City. Even the most resilient property owner will see the folly of continuing.
Posted on: Thu, 01 Jan 2015 12:36:55 +0000
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