By Miles Jung-Kilbreath
Record-Courier staff writer
STREETSBORO -- With the city working to improve unsightly properties, City Council is considering new legislation that would give property owners five days to fix any problems if it is deemed an "emergency."
"I think it's about time that we are doing something about this," Council President Pete Buczkowski said.
Council may give the ordinance a first reading, with three needed before legislation can be passed, on an amendment for "emergency enforcement" of the housing and property maintenance code Tuesday.
Items that the could force the city to clean up a privately owned property include broken or dilapidated fences and walls; items hung on lines in the front yard; overgrown vegetation within the public right of way; loose and uncontained garbage; and old broken, dilapidated and unusable furniture or other items that are "patently unsightly, grotesque or offensive to the senses."
According to the proposed legislation, the amendment would only give the property owner five days to bring it into compliance after citation if it "constitutes a real and present threat to the health and welfare of the community." If the five days pass without the citations being addressed, the city would then be able to enter the property and take care of the problems at the property owner's expense.
The property owner would have 30 days to pay back the cost of the repairs and also would have to pay a $25 fee per letter for payment sent.
In non-emergency situations, the property owner would still have 30 days after being cited to bring the property into compliance. An owner also must show that work on maintenance began 15 days after citation is issued.
Mayor Tom Wagner said the amendment would help the city clean up unsightly properties faster for the betterment of the community.
"People shouldn't have to live next to a home that has junk in the front and backyards," Wagner said.
Buczkowski said he also hopes council will add additional fines for owners who do not maintain their property.
"I want to make (property owners) understand that we take this seriously," he said.