Galt City Council looks to clean up foreclosed homes

As weeds continue to grow in the yards of foreclosed homes, the Galt City Council took a first step Wednesday night to find a way to prevent health and safety hazards on these properties.

The council approved $5,500 to clean up about a half dozen homes where the city cannot find an owner to be responsible for bringing the property up to city code compliance.

The approval is a reduction from a city staff recommendation at the Aug. 18 meeting to spend $20,000 to clean up about 20 properties.

"I do think we should address the health and safety issues," Councilman Andrew Meredith said. "Right now, that should be all we are focused on with the economic issues in this city and across the country."

The $5,500 will be used on homes where the city has tried to send multiple notices and cannot find the owner. It will only be used for downed fences in yards with swimming pools, broken windows and doors where people could get in, large amount of weeds and dry vegetation that could cause a fire risk or other safety hazards.

Without the designated money, the city has no way to clean up properties where an owner cannot be found.

The council asked staff to research the issue further at its Aug. 18 meeting because members were concerned about the $20,000 price tag.

"I'm hesitant given all of our budget issues," Councilman Darryl Clare said at the August meeting. "Once you start it, where do you stop?"

The council also wondered if the city would have to pay prevailing wage if the city used a contractor.

City staff responded to concerns by changing the goal to only stepping in when a property posed a health or safety risk.

As of now, there are no properties that would qualify to be cleaned up with the money, but as foreclosures continue, the city will now have the resources to act in extreme situations, said Curt Campion, community development director.

The city will also use part-time Parks and Recreation staff members to repair fencing or do any of the other work required. As long as no single cleanup takes more than $1,000, the city does not have to pay prevailing wage, according to the city staff report.

This year, the city has sent out more abatement notices requesting land owners to clean up properties than it has in the past, Campion said. The landowner usually has 30 days to bring the property into compliance. If the necessary changes are not made, then the city can bring the residence into compliance and place a lien on the property.

With foreclosed homes, part of the problem is city staff can have trouble tracking down the current owner to notify them about code compliance. The properties last listed owner is usually the foreclosed resident and the new owner could be a business, like a bank or mortgage company.

"Our police department has spent six to eight hours on a single piece of property and not found the owner," Campion said.

Councilman Donald Haines confirmed that staff will still try to collect by putting notices on the door because banks and mortgage companies usually send people out to inspect the properties.

"At some point in time it should come to their attention," Haines said.

Contact reporter Maggie Creamer at maggiec@lodinews.com or read her blog at www.lodinews.com/blog/citybuzz.

In other items

— The city approved the contract for spending $300,000 in federal stimulus funds to make sidewalks comply with the American with Disabilities Act. The city will focus on areas on McFarland Street, A Street, C Street, F Street and Elm Avenue. The project will replace non-complaint curbs and sidewalks and construct new ones where they didn't exist before.

Councilwoman Barbara Payne thanked Public Works for moving so quickly on the project.

— Councilmen Andrew Meredith and Donald Haines announced that they plan to put together a six-month program to help people in the community struggling because of the recession. Meredith said it will start with a forum in October titled "What to do when the paycheck stops?" He said he will have more information at the next meeting in September.

— Councilmen Darryl Clare said there will be meetings in October on possible routes for the high speed rail system voters approved a bond for in the November election.

News-Sentinel staff

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