The city of Hartford is considering a new get-tough approach for problem property owners as part of an effort to crack down on blight.
Mayor Pedro Segarra wants to charge a new special assessment to owners of blighted residential properties as a way of recovering the cost of sending police, fire, and public works crews to take care of problems there.
The fines would be handed out along with property tax bills and would be in addition to other fines the city assesses for code violations.
Segarra came up with the plan based on recommendations from his anti-blight committee.
"The goal here is to create a city and stabilize our neighborhoods to make sure that we have properties that are in decent conditions for residents to live in, to make sure that our neighborhoods are attractive neighborhoods that reflect the quality of life that is demanded by us through our own code," said Segarra.
The city estimates there are about 1600 blighted units in Hartford. They spend about $2 million a year responding to problems at them, said Segarra.
"These units not only detract from the quality of life for the residents in those buildings and units, they also impact the surrounding property values," said Segarra.
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If approved, the first round of fines is expected to be about $1250 per unit. That number would change every year depending on how many units remain on the list and how much the city is spending on them.
The city council plans to discuss the proposal at its meeting Monday night.
