OPINION: Florence leaders, residents can sharpen unfit dwellings ordinance

Three ordinances coming before Florence City Council could streamline the city’s ability to deal with unsafe dwellings and commercial buildings. Council on Monday will hold public hearings on the ordinances, and city residents should study the measures so that they can offer their input and encourage the city to pass the most effective regulations possible.

One ordinance concerns the city’s processes for identifying and handling dwellings “unfit for human habitation.” The definition of “unfit” in this case should make it fairly easy for city enforcement officers to determine which homes are problem properties. A dwelling must have running water and a lavatory connected to the public sewer. It must have screens and glass panes on doors and windows. It also must have ventilation or central air conditioning as well as heating; wiring that meets city regulations; and weather-tight roofing and walls.

A major part of this ordinance involves the appointment of a five-member city Housing Board of Adjustments and Appeals. So far, two members have been appointed. Ideally, the board will be composed of a Realtor, a physician, an architect, an engineer or general contractor, and a building materials dealer.

Florence’s financial constraints will determine how aggressive the city can be in ordering the repair or demolition of dwellings unfit for human habitation, Florence Mayor Stephen J. Wukela recently told the Morning News editorial board.

If the city becomes more aggressive, however, council will find it imperative to have the appeals board staffed.

Whether a property owner would be ordered to repair or demolish the dwelling depends on the cost of the necessary repairs. The ordinance defines “reasonable cost” for repairs to be 50 percent or less of the dwelling’s value. That estimate, however, is subject to appeal, Wukela said.

If the repairs are estimated to cost more than half of the property’s value, however, the city would order the owner to demolish the dwelling.

Absentee landlords are a major contributor to dilapidated properties in Florence, Wukela said. When they don’t maintain their properties, the costs are passed on to neighbors and the city when additional police officers must patrol the area and firefighters have to respond, he said.

For the landowners who ignore orders to demolish unfit dwellings, however, the city can remove the structure and place a lien on the property. That would help the city recover the cost of demolishing the problem properties, Wukela said.

If the property owner continues to be unresponsive, the city can foreclose on the lien and sell the property, the mayor added.

The city might have the power to take such steps, but city leaders wouldn’t want to immediately pounce upon that opportunity because, obviously, it costs money.

Ordinances such as these at hand must plainly set a limit on how long a property owner can receive extensions for remedying a problem property. It also must be specific about what could constitute an “undue hardship” caused by a deadline. In such a case, the appeals board could allow extensions not to exceed 120 days after the board’s decision, although the board can hear applications for additional extensions.

The time to comply with an order normally would be between 30 and 90 days. Again, in the case of an undue hardship, an enforcement officer can extend the time to comply with an order by as many as 180 days from the date of the original order.

After cleaning up the problem properties currently in Florence, the city must focus on preventing new unsafe structures from appearing along our streets. Wukela has said the city could encourage responsible developers to improve properties; he wants to avoid, however, financing private development with taxpayer dollars.

The ordinances up for public hearings can be viewed at www.cityofflorence.com. They are only being introduced at Monday’s special council meeting and would have to pass a second reading before going into effect. There’s a chance for public input and time to amend the ordinances, so city residents and leaders should put forth their best effort to make sure the most effective procedures are passed.

— Unsigned editorials represent the views of this newspaper: Editorial Board members are Mark Laskowski (regional publisher), Sam Bundy (sports editor), Kimberly Ginfrida (content manager), David Johnson (regional circulation director), Charles Tomlinson (Lake City News & Post editor) and Jackie Torok (metro editor).