|
 The City of Wilmington has embarked on an
unprecedented effort to hold the owners of vacant properties accountable
for the physical condition of their properties and to the
overall well being of the communities and neighborhoods in which
the vacant properties are located.
The City's new Vacant Property Registration
Fee Program, outlined in this website, seeks to do something
about an issue than no one can dispute...vacant properties are a
detriment to people who live in proximity to the properties, to
entire neighborhoods, and to the city's overall image as an
attractive and inviting City in which to live, own property,
work and be entertained. The Mayor's
Office, through the City's Department of Licenses and
Inspections and Wilmington City Council has joined forces to
revise the City's Vacant Property Registration Fee Program
requiring that yearly registration fees ranging from $500 to as
high as $5,000 be paid to the City by the owners of vacant
properties. The program is intended to encourage owners of
vacant properties to immediately rehabilitate the property or to
sell the property to an individual or an agency that will make
the property attractive for sale or rental. The new law is
summarized for you in this website along with a section on what
you can do to help in this effort.
We
have contacted to owners of more than 1,000 vacant properties
scattered throughout the City and advised them in writing of
their responsibilities under the new law. If owners of
vacant properties ignore the law, the City can and will
institute criminal proceedings that could result in fines. The City could also bring civil action against the property
owner to collect any unpaid registration fees.
In
reality, the City would prefer that the owner of a vacant
property use their money to fix up and rehabilitate a property
rather than pay a registration fee to the City. But it is
vital that vacant property owners understand the importance to
which the City has attached to reducing vacant properties and
how determined the City will be in terms of moving to resolve
the problem.
If the new registration fee
law is ignored, the City is ready to take additional actions to
remove an eyesore property from a neighborhood. If the new
law is followed, vacant properties will begin to disappear
giving our neighborhoods a chance to continue to grow stronger.
Thank
you for your interest in this matter and for taking time to
understand and assist with this new effort. Sincerely,
James M. Baker, Mayor |
