After campaigning through the 10th ward for the Primary Election, one of my biggest concerns was abandoned properties/vacant homes. This will be a platform of mine that has not been addressed in our city. It is truly affecting the quality of life of our neighborhood, and it is unfair to hard working homeowners who take pride in their homes. Please read article below, that a diference can be made, and I hope that I will be on council to help pass an ordinance in our city regarding vacant properties. JACKSON – Municipal officials have taken action to combat foreclosed and abandoned propertiesin the township. With more than 130 properties abandoned or vacant, the Township Council on July 22 unanimously approved an ordinance that allows local officials to force owners of those homes to register that property. If they don’t, they could face fines or even jail. “I think it’s something after the last eight or nine years, homes have been foreclosed in town and have not been cleaned up properly so we want to make sure we have a mechanism to lock those places down and make them cleaner and safer,” Council President Robert Nixon said. In recent months, residents have complained about various properties and concerns have included houses collapsing, vermin and fires caused by homeless people seeking shelter and vandals. Yet some residents still are concerned the action does not do enough to battle the problem. Fred Iorizzo, 60, who has lived on Brookfield Drive for more than six years, said he has been trying to get township officials to do something about an abandoned building next to his home, but he feels ignored. “We’re stuck with this boarded-up structure that just stands here,” Iorizzo said. “Even if they (the township) wanted to sell the property, it’s got to be costing the township something even to minimally maintain this building, and if they wanted to sell the property I’m sure they can let someone take down the building.” Iorizzo has not contacted township officials about the property since 2011. But he said he wants the building knocked down or at least cleaned up. The problem is the building, known as the Cooks Farmhouse, is an historic site and cannot be knocked down. More so, it is leased to the township, which maintains the building, according to Helene Schlegel, the township business administrator. Though the building is boarded up, township workers routinely mow the lawn. Though there is no immediate resolution to the Cooks Farmhouse problem, Nixon said if residents have issues with abandoned properties they should contact the township administration. “We’ll be able to know if there is a foreclosure, and if that company didn’t notify us about it, there’s a process for that,” Nixon said. “We’ll know if they filed with us, who the responsible party is, and we’ll be able to have them go clean it up.” According to the ordinance, a creditor attempting to foreclose on a mortgage on a residential property must notify the municipal clerk within 60 days of the adoption of the new law. The township would provide the creditor with a notice including the description of the condition of the site and the creditor would have 30 days to fix the situation. Anyone who violates the ordinance could receive a fine up to $2,000, a jail term up to 90 days, or both, according to the ordinance. “As opposed to the communities along the shore, the majority of foreclosed properties in Jackson are not a reflection of superstorm Sandy but rather a reflection of the downturn in the economy. We are optimistic that these numbers will decline,” Schlegel said.
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 13:43:39 +0000
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