The battle against blight in Waterbury wasn’t sitting well with property owners on Monday night. They made their voices heard to the Board of Aldermen and said a new plan to hold them accountable wouldn’t be fair and could cost them big bucks.
Abandoned homes have plagued neighborhoods across Waterbury for nearly a decade and have ruined the quality of life.
“It's really bad. It demoralizes the kids who have to look at it every day,” said neighbor James Monroe.
The eyesores have been dangerous too.
“The floors settle, they become traps. People go in and try to live and they’re homeless and they burn,” Monroe added.
The city has been trying to fight the blight, but tracking down the property owners to force them to clean up has been challenging.
“We've had a situation where it almost took two weeks to find one landlord because he put his name in an LLC or moved multiple times or moved address and didn't change them with the city,” Lt. Dan Lauer, of the Waterbury’s Blight Task Force, said.
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A new proposed ordinance could change this by making property owners who don’t live onsite register their personal information, including name address and email.
They would pay $50 for every property they have and, if they move, the cost would be extra. If the city can’t find them, it would put a lien on the property.
Many property owners have been furious over the proposal and dozens showed up to city hall on Monday night and told city leaders passing this ordinance would be a huge mistake.
“Don’t put the burden on the average working guy trying to make it work,” said Mike Daubert.
Many would have to pay hundreds of dollars and claimed they shouldn’t have to because they aren’t the ones skipping town and leaving these places behind.
“It’s not going to accomplish anything because the very people they’re looking for are the people who aren't responding,” Michael Telesca added.
On Monday, city officials said Waterbury needs to hold everyone accountable and set a precedent.
“It's not to go after landlords and penalize them. It’s being proactive and getting ahead of the curve,” Lt. Dan Lauer explained.
He said cracking down on this problem would make Waterbury a better place to live.
The Board of Alderman will vote on this proposed ordinance in the next few weeks.
