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If anyone is living in the vicinity of disorderly neighbors and/or those promoting illegal activity in your community, you may want to attend a public hearing about it on Monday at the City-County Building downtown. The meeting starts at 1:30pm and the mayor’s much talked about plan to find and/or bring misdemeanor charges against owners of nuisance properties will be the sole item on the agenda.

What: Public Hearing on Nuisance Properties

Where: 510 City-County Bldg. on Grant Street

When: Monday, Dec 3rd at 1:30pm

The proposed plan/ordinance would require that multiple infractions by a tenant be addressed and documented by law enforcement before any action could be taken against a property owner. The property owner would then be fined for subsequent trips to the residence by police when tenants are engaging in illegal activities or disorderly conduct. Apparently, there was an ordinance of this kind passed in 2005, but it wasn’t supported or enforced. The ACLU is said to be opposing the ordinance on the grounds that it infringes on property owners rights.

What about the property owners forced to live near homes where drug deals, prostitution, and disorderly conduct are a common occurrence? Owning property is a responsibility whether you live in it or not. Landlords are obligated to keep properties appropriately maintained and help to ensure the tenants they choose are not disruptive to the rest of the neighborhood.

Poorly maintained buildings, vacant properties, and illegal activity are the things that keep an urban neighborhood down. They drive people from the city who can afford to move and burden those who cannot with the resulting consequences. This is not meant to cast aspersion on good landlords who enhance communities or the wonderful people that rent from them. It merely sets a higher standard for all property owners and tenants in forcing them to be accountable for their actions.