A proposed ordinance to require owners of vacant residential and commercial buildings to register with the City of Pine Bluff drew opposition Tuesday. Under the ordinance, proposed by Alderman Bruce Lockett, vacant buildings are defined as a building or commercial space larger than 10,000 square feet that has been unoccupied for more than three months. Owners would be required to register the vacant building with the city within 30 days of it becoming vacant. The owner would be responsible for keeping the building secure, clean and with working utilities.
Buildings registered as vacant would be subject to city inspections. There would be a fee for registering a property as vacant, and the fee would have to be paid annually until the property is no longer vacant. Owners of vacant properties who live outside of Jefferson County must have a licensed property manager who either lives or has an office in the county. Or they can designate as property manager a family member or another person living in Jefferson County who does not manage other real estate for a fee. Lockett said he modeled the legislation on vacant building registration ordinances passed in other states, including one in Dover, Delaware.
The City Council’s Development and Planning Committee – comprised of Aldermen Glen Brown Jr. and Bill Brumett and Alderwoman Thelma Walker – said Tuesday that the ordinance seemed harsh.
“I really think it’s a little heavy-handed considering Pine Bluff is a poor city,” Walker said. “ A lot of times relatives die… and that leaves a house vacant. So I think it should be some encouragement for people to keep up their property.”
Lockett said the ordinance was necessary to counteract some of the blight that dots the city.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“We at Pine Bluff cannot continue to let people to own or control property that deteriorates to the point where it looks like Kosovo,” Lockett said.
Brown said he felt the city’s current system, in which owners of vacant properties that fall into disrepair are assessed fines, is sufficient. Brumett said he agreed with Walker.
“I don’t get many phone calls from people, but I’ve gotten phone calls on this,” Brumett said. “One guy said, ‘Well y’all are just gonna make it so nobody wants to own anything in that area.’”
Inspection and Zoning Department Director Mitzi Ruth said she had not seen similar legislation in other cities.
“We don’t have any legislation to write a citation on a house,” Ruth said. “What we have is to write a citation on a building.”
Lockett said cities in 20 other states had passed similar ordinances to reduce blight. The committee voted to recommend against the ordinance when it is considered by the City Council at a future date.