In the City's effort to reduce blight and improve our neighborhoods, we are taking a two-pronged approach: proactively enforcing the City code to clean up neighborhoods as well as responding to citizen complaints when property owners let their properties languish. 

Our inspectors are screening all of our neighborhoods, street by street, to hold owners responsible for the condition of their property.

Just recently, I called for an official Review-to-Date of our efforts to fight blight and look forward to the results and continuing the program. In the months to come, the City will continue the battle to make our neighborhoods and our community an even better and safer place.

Blight and vacant buildings hurt a neighborhood's livability and economic vitality, and addressing them is an important key toward reducing crime. Tackling both blight and crime together is helping many of our neighborhoods rebound from years of neglect and is encouraging more people to view the City as a safe and livable community.

In July, this recent CBS 6 news story shows a vacant lot with overgrown weeds in the East End that the City cut down within days of receiving the request from a nearby church.

In April, the City found a drainage problem at a closed supermarket in Church Hill via the community blog and took immediate action. As these photos show, the large pool of water was a drowning and health risk, and the City drained and disinfected the loading dock. The City also issued a notice to the property owner to repair the dock so the problem would not reoccur.

In both cases, the property owner was cited and billed for the City's work and such action is becoming standard procedure. If property owners neglect their properties to the detriment of the neighborhood, the City will take action. 

Another example is the City's action taken against an owner of dozens of dilapidated properties across our community. That owner faced numerous code violations, and the City took him to court.

Our code enforcement team - all nine inspectors - appeared before a judge to show the seriousness of the situation. The owner, who faced 175 violations and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, agreed to address the violations and fix these properties or sell them someone who would.

Either way, the City's action means many properties that were eyesore for years  - or in some cases, decades - will soon help to further broaden the City's economic renaissance.

Code Enforcement in the City, led by Building Commissioner Art Dahlberg, is now fully staffed for the first time in years, and the City's vigorous campaign to reduce blight across our community is reaping highly significant benefits.

Proactive enforcement forces owners to take action for the betterment of the community, encourages economic development, and means many properties that had been eyesores for years  - or in some cases, decades - will soon help to further broaden the City's economic renaissance.

In 18 months, code inspectors have reduced the number of vacant buildings in the City from 3,400 to about 1,700 as they issue citations that make owners to take action. Inspectors, who once visited a vacant property every 90 days, now return to follow up about every 45 days.

In the months to come, the City will continue the battle against blight to make our neighborhoods and our community an even better and safer place.

If you would like to report a problem, please call 311.