BUFFALO, N.Y. — With some of the oldest housing stock in the country, the Buffalo Common Council is proposing some changes to step up property maintenance and code enforcement.
For Buffalo Common Council President Chris Scanlon, this is a health and safety issue.
"We have properties that go to housing court, languish there for years, while the blight continues and worsens, and so we want to see how we can expedite things," said Council President Chris Scanlon.
The Common Council adopted three resolutions on Tuesday aimed at changing the way the city addresses blight.
"The goal is compliance. The goal is not foreclosure and taking people's property. You just want to make sure that the property is safe for the people living in it, the neighbors, first responders, should there be an issue at those properties, things like that," Scanlon said.
One resolution would allow the city to write property owners up for violating additional maintenance codes covered under state law. Another would allow the city to attach fines and fees for violating housing codes to the property owner's tax bill. The final one would create a municipal code violations bureau.
It's something Rochester already has.
"We are one of the few cities in this state that actually has a housing court. There's only a couple of us. So in our charter, I think it's section 12.8, we have a division of adjudication which has enabling state legislation to address safety and health through those violations, so my question is can we do it internally here and hopefully do this a little faster," Scanlon said.
Scanlon says this could also help prevent property owners who are serial violators from just delaying paying fines and fixing their homes.
"I've talked to building inspectors who have had properties in housing court for a dozen years," Scanlon said.
Buffalo's mayor said these are interesting proposals.
"We know that there are many issues that are adjudicated in housing court, in Buffalo City Court, and if we can establish a process to have issues adjudicated more quickly, that would be a good thing for the residents of the City of Buffalo," Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown said.
Next they'll continue to have the city attorney look at things and figure out if they would just handle things internally, or keep housing court, and only send certain cases there, or send them to State Supreme Court.