A pair of Connecticut cities are taking a tougher new approach to fighting neighborhood blight by upping fines against the owners of the rundown properties.
WFSB reports the City of New Haven announced a new plan that increases the fine for a blighted property from the current level of $100 a day up to $1,000 a day. The city will also now be able to send fines to absentee landlords by first class mail instead of certified mail – some of these property owners have post office box numbers as their address, which enables them to elude having to sign for certified mail.
North of New Haven, the City of Waterbury’s Board of Aldermen voted 13-1 to approve a new ordinance that charges the owners of blighted structures and parcels $150 a day until they clean up their properties. Fox 61 News reports Waterbury Mayor Paul Pernerewski said the ordinance, which takes effect Sept. 11, is needed to fix a problem that has plagued the city for years.
“All it takes is one house on a street to cause a problem and make people think there is an issue,” said Pernerewski. “We believe when people start seeing real money add up, because you’re at $600, $700, $1,000 pretty quickly, that they will start cooperating.”
