City leaders are eyeing the possibility of adopting a new property maintenance law that’s being used by cities across the world.
Building Official Guy Morin, who is urging passage of the “international property maintenance code,” said its terms would “fill in all the holes” in Bristol’s current rules.
“It’s very well thought out and put together,” Morin said. “They seem to have taken everything into account.”
The city’s Ordinance Committee is reviewing the idea, but is a long way from adopting the proposed change.
This month, the city wiped out its Blight Committee, folding it into a new Code Enforcement Committee that will have the power to enforce laws governing both the outside appearance and inside structure of buildings in Bristol. The new law takes effect soon.
But the measure sought by Morin would give the city even more clout.
“It just enhances our ability to enforce” the rules, said city Councilor Kevin McCauley. “I’m quite comfortable with this.”
“It adds another tool in our toolbox,” said Police Officer Tom Lavigne, who is assigned full-time to code enforcement issues.
Lavigne said the proposed code would “standardize the inspection process” and ensure fairness for everyone.
“We want it to be equal among all the homeowners” in town, Lavigne said.
Dale Clift, the newly appointed city attorney, said he would want to make sure that if the new code is adopted, lawyers need to make sure it doesn’t conflict with existing statutes. He said it’s important to dump outdated sections of the ordinance book that might not fit the terms of what’s called for in the new code urged by Morin.
“We don’t want to get into a tax code situation,” Clift said, in which it’s hard to know what the law requires because sections don’t mesh with one another.
Clift said that city lawyers will have to work on the issue.
Morin said he’s glad that the idea is going forward.
He said there are “big voids” in the current laws laying out how officials carry out inspections and enforce regulations.
The proposed code, Morin said, is very clear about penalties, the notice that must be given to property owners and who carries out the enforcement.
“It covers everything we do and standardizes the process,” Lavigne said.
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Copyright 2008. All rights reserved.
Contact Steve Collins at scollins@bristolpress.com
27 comments:
We can't and don't enforce existing legislation.
Why add more unless we are going to get serious.
And it ain't all major issues either.
This does look like an attempt to get serious.
Blight is an issue that needs to be addressed in Bristol and the more that can be done the better.
There are far to many "slumlords" getting away with sub-standard property maintenance and taking advantage of the system as well as the poor.
Put simply, address blight and things will get better. Don't address blight and things will get worse.
11:11 - You're absolutely right! It's about time we got serious about blight. These measures are definitely a step in the right direction. Let's get the pride back in Bristol.
lets geter done
" will have the power to enforce laws governing both the outside appearance and inside structure of buildings in Bristol."
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Sounds like warrantless searches of every home in Bristol .
Bristol is moving forward .
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SEIG HEIL !!!!!!!!
Hate Blight ?????
Grab a freaking broom .
Is there really a need to torture taxpayers ???
April 16, 2008 2:42 PM,
April 16, 2008 3:14 PM...
Agreed!
Also, are they enforcing the existing codes?
April 16, 2008 3:14 PM
Spoken like a true slum lord. You take no responsibility and are bad for Bristol.
The time has come to address blight in Bristol and grab a broom and sweep folks like you away.
You call it torture. I call it about time to address the issue.
Just wait. The slumlords will get away with their blight issues, while the regular homeowners will be the ones getting penalized.
....2:42 - "Sounds like warrantless searches".... Sounds like a plan to me! Why don't you get your lazy butt off the computer chair and starting pulling those maple saplings out of your gutters!!! It's a beautiful day and Bristol is definitely moving forward!!!
Yes I hate blight, but I take care of my own property. Why should I have to grab a broom and clean up someone else's mess??? --- Let's torture the taxpayers who aren't holding up their end of the freakin deal...
What a joke. Are they seriously proposing to sic code enforcement on people who don't meet some undefined standard, say grass not cut to "regulation" height, driveway not paved to perfection, or whatever?
I suggest they start with something simple. How about getting Lavigne out of his office and go after the "graffiti" artists whose work seems to be popping up all over. Of course, it is a lot easier and not as much might as fun as hassling homeowners sacrificing some exterior maintenance to pay their energy and health insurance bills.
More employees, more space needed, fewer cops on the street.
When does it all end?
"What a joke. Are they seriously proposing to sic code enforcement on people who don't meet some undefined standard, say grass not cut to "regulation" height, driveway not paved to perfection, or whatever?"
No. There are no "undefined standards". That's just what the slumlord/slob element who lurk on this blog want you to think so that you'll rally to their cause. There is no tall grass ordinance in Bristol. If someone tries to tell you there is, ask him to show it to you. That will send him scurrying back under his rock.
2:42 Are you a slumlord along with a KGB agent ? Sounds like you are.
It is a joke, a bad joke on the people of Bristol. While the City is obsessed about taking Bristol down the path toward a big condo association with its detailed rules - will clothes lines be banned, how about cars parked in a driveway for more than a day without moving, etc. - the City has problems which could use a bit of enforcement.
Yesterday's comments about graffiti seem prescient given today's story about vandalism at Rockwell Park. But oh well it will be a lot easier to go after a homeowner with unkempt yard than a vandal.
8:27 - No one is talking about unkempt yards, clothes lines or cars parked in driveways, AND YOU KNOW IT....Stop trying to put your "slumlord spin" on the facts....
9:26 am If the shoe fits..........
Yesterday's comments about graffiti seem prescient given today's story about vandalism at Rockwell Park. But oh well it will be a lot easier to go after a homeowner with unkempt yard than a vandal.
April 17, 2008 8:27 AM
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Want the vandalism @ the parks to stop ????
Start treating the Park director as if he were a Bristol Taxpayer and take $100 a day out of his paycheck .
What's fair is fair ....
....11:15 - So you're agreeing that the $100 a day fine for slumlords should be enough of an initiative to get them to clean up? Great, now we're all on the same page! Except unlike slumlords, the park director didn't sit on his butt letting the park fall into disrepair, it was vandalized, and repairs will be done ASAP....fair is fair.
was vandalized, and repairs will be done ASAP....fair is fair.
April 18, 2008 3:06 PM
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GREAT ...... I guess the Park Director WILL be paying for the repairs then .
and ... if he doesn't , then a lien will be placed on his home .
I'm sure you agree since we are on the same page .
Unless it is your assertion that landlords are sneaking into their properties and vandalizing them after getting c.o.'s from the city .
It's good to see that you are beginning to comprehend the taxpayers side of this situation .
Slumlords cost the taxpayers by letting the property value go down. Clean up your mess !!! If you don't like it and you like the mess , go someplace else.
I too would like to see some of these properties cleaned up.
But lets do it fairly, across the board, not just in some politicians neighborhood.
Also, while certain conditions may negatively affect property values in that immediate area, ALL OF US are affected by the quality of our school system.
Someone on Hillhurst, or Debra Lane, or UCONN Drive are not likely to be afected by any blight conditions, but they are affected by the attractiveness of a school system.
Keep this in mind as we try to improve Bristol, in all aspects.
try to improve Bristol, in all aspects.
April 21, 2008 11:53 AM
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Dis-banning the blight nazi gestapo would be a nice improvement .
2:41 The improvement would be if you took your slumlord business someplace else and shut your big mouth !!!
"But lets do it fairly, across the board, not just in some politicians neighborhood."
What's the basis for this insinuation? Do you know the address of all properties that have been cited? If not, don't make unfounded accusations.
4:15 You clowns make false accusations all the time. Can't take a dose of your own poop ? And if it is done fairly across the board you'd better clean up your (slumlord) mess.
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