So, I was dropping off my car to my mechanic and when I turned down VanVranken, there was one of those lighted signs
flashing that there will be a Code Enforcement Sweep on June 27 and 28th!

Everybody get your rulers and measure your house numbers!  

And while you're measuring your house numbers, measure the length of your grass too!!!

Quoted from Ididntdoit

Everybody get your rulers and measure your house numbers!  

LOL-don't say nuthin in the City Council chambers. Talked to a Code Enforcer the other day who wrote 22 violations in one hour on HH. They can't believe the calls they are getting about 6 foot high grass on abandoned properties on Upper Union, Northside and the GE Realty Plot. Worst in 20 years. Under this alleged "renaissance" the rot has spread to every neighborhood.

Quoted Text

Everyone Targeted in Schenectady Code Enforcement Sweep
June 28, 2011 4:28 PM
Randy Simons

SCHENECTADY -- Code Enforcers, Police and Fire teamed up Monday and Tuesday and walked all of Van Vranken Avenue going house to house inspecting every piece of property.

The sweep is part of a bigger operation in which city employees are planning to visit 14,000 parcels across the city over the next year.

"The idea is to have properties maintained as they should so properties in neighborhoods really are desirable and property values increase" says Brian Kilcullen of the Schenectady Police Department.

Green notices went out to people where a violation needed to be corrected.

The house where Shyanne Helo lives received one but she wasn't angry.

"I got one for a grill on the porch and evidence of open burning along with trash on the front porch" says Helo.  "I understand why they're doing this. They need to find a way to make this city better."

Some received red notices which basically was a thank you for doing a great job already.

Tony Arogona got one of those.

"That's great, that's what this neighborhood needs. It needs it because the neighborhood isn't what it used to be" says Arogona.

Employees looked for everything from overgrown lawns to litter on the property to the bigger violations such as dilapidated porches and broken windows.

The green notices that was accompanied by a letter listing all the problems are only warnings but a follow-up visit is planned and if the problems aren't corrected than the owner would be cited and eventually fined.

http://www.cbs6albany.com/news/schenectady-1286190-house-one.html

It's something that is definitely needed, but while the size of house numbers is stupid, and I don't know what the height of grass they are concerned with, I just hope that for the owner occupants who might have very expensive things to correct, that they give them more than 30 days.

Howeowners have been robbed to give money to downtown milliionaries and billionaires.   Morris got $5 million for Lion King,  Doesn't pay taxes, perhaps he should foot the bill for the homeowners repairs.  And Paul Mitchell salon there too, a Forbes multibillionaire and the dem buddies exempt him from paying taxes, and take money from the financially struggling homeonwers.  

So what will happen if the financially struggling homeowners don't have the money to fix major things in 30 days?   They will be assessed monetary fines.  So, first the dems go and steal money from the homeowners by forcibly making them pay the taxes on properties of the rich and wealthy dem buddies downtown, then they will steal more money from them in hefty fines when they don't have the money to fix major things!

And when I say major things, it's like having to replace sidewalk, driveway, porches, lawns, roofs, siding, etc  I'm not talking about touch up paint jobs or putting trash cans in the back of the house

They should go visit the DPW Taj Mahal where the grass is over 4 foot high. Plenty of violations on "renaissance" Van Vranken. The Gazetto called it a renaissance 2 years ago. Every business tell bragged on is now boarded up. Start at the 2 Italian restaurants which provide a good site for political signs since both are vacant. Tenants do not care about code enforcement fines. Another band aid by DEM morons over the rot and blight in every corner of the City. Hamilton Hill has exploded as middle class residents flee if they can unload their property.

I'm all for code enforcement it is needed bad but not the selective type we have had in the past.  Not the house numbers and some pealing of paint on a soffit garbage.  They have a long way to go to show they aren't being manipulated by city politics.

What if I don't give my landlord the report?

Let's see how they do on this...not holding my breath.

Is this one of the things McCarthy is spear heading in prep for his run for office?  Can see the campaign literature now.

The woman on Ch 6, now, did she own the house?   They mentioned her illegal bbq grill, but did you hear how she said she doesn't use it on the porch?   I didn't see whether it was a hibachi or a full size gas or characoal grill, because can you really believe she's bringing it down the stairs and off the porch and into the backyard every time she uses it?

How many illegal swimming pools are they finding.  There was a story in yesterdays gazette about most pools are illegal, it didn't mention Schenectady but they are state laws to prevent drownings.  So many go to the Kmarts and Walmarts, and buy those $100 pools or even $50 dollar pools, they require permits from the cities and towns.  Then if I remember from some friends of ours, when you get your pool permit, then Schenectady charges for the water that is put in.  Wonder if they charge the landlord or the tenant?

Cel,   EVERYTHING that is/will be done from now until election day will be done with an eye to the Mayors chair.   Isn't it interesting that all of a sudden the staff is finding all this time to conduct such sweeps.   How many years has this been neglected?   And the recent wave of road repairs (patching) and soon to be complete repaving work of selected streets, where are these funds coming from?   Are other budgets being dipped into by a form of an accounting shift to apply to the most projects that curry favor for the most votes?   Just askin.

In a tour of the city and especially in the more finer hoods-Realty Plot, Stockade, Upper Union St. one can't help but notice the many For Sale signs on all the UPKEPT homes.   Some going on for a year or more.   Now with any lack of a code violation in the homes in these locales, what is the sale delay based on?   The taxes most of the time.   So the code sweeps will have little effect in bringing up the property values in these hoods on these homes.   And once the housing stock that is cited and brought up to code, this should result in an increase to their value, right?   Therefore it is inevitable that once their value goes up a higher tax assessment will be in order, resulting in a higher tax bill.    This has been true in the past when people have upgraded their homes and shortly thereafter their assessment/taxes rose.  This will further stiffle home purchases as it always comes back to the taxes.    Once people are priced out due to the taxes, then you see the For Sale signs/foreclosures.   What good does it do a home owner to have their home increase in value from $150K to $200k if with it the taxes rise to the point of unaffordability.   And then if the price is too high to sell based on it's assessed value and it won't sell, the price must be reduced anyway regardless of it's value just to move it and to relieve oneself of the oppressive tax burden.   Homeownership dreams have largely been curtailed since the housing bubble burst.   Many are prefering to rent, as the illusion of long term home ownership value as a safe haven for an investment,has been exposed.   This is the dilema cities such as ours now face.   Less home ownership results in less taxes if no one is buying.   Yes the owner, if the home is vacant, stll pays the taxes, but without any income on the property to offset the tax/maint. expense, it's only a matter of time before that eats away on the bottom line, and hence the owner just walks away from the home as it is worth less than what it would cost to keep it.   Inevitably falling into the cities lap.    So without an incentive to buy/rent in the city the cycle repeats itself.

I, too, have mixed feelings about code enforcement. I'm all for it, but not once, suddenly, selectively, never to be done again.
Schenectady needs traffic enforcement on a regular basis also. We have had next to none for years, with a resulting free-for-all situation. Many of the dual citizens (Schenectady/NYC) have NO idea what yield means or when to do it (left turns are not a game of chicken). Directional signals DO serve a purpose. I think many cops dislike traffic work so the excuse is used that they have bigger crimes to be concerned with, but it is proven that more aggressive enforcement of traffic laws leads to solving outstanding cases in many instances. Also, a more orderly, law abiding atmosphere is more attractive to those who might visit or consider investing here.

Did they condemn MC's place ?

Quoted from Cel

Is this one of the things McCarthy is spear heading in prep for his run for office? Can see the campaign literature now.

They should combine functions. The DEM code enforcers should carry Acting McCarthy and the Proctor's lob petitions and drop literature while writing up violations for small sign numbers. Code Enforcement has been a DEM dumping grounds for decades. Don't expect anything from these hacks.

Is there a code/law on the books for who cleans up the human piss on sidewalks? I'm not kidding here. A friend of ours rented one of those 'lofty' apts on/around jay street. They moved out, in part, because of all the scum that walks the sidewalks and leaves their 'mark'! They said it was a daily occurrence!!

So who's responsibility is it to wash down the piss on the sidewalks?

It's worse than that BT. Jay Street is in total free fall. 5 more businesses are closing or fixing to close. The Code Enforcers are political enforcers. They are sent out to target political opponents or kvetches at City meetings with numbers signs 1/4 of an inch too small.

     "Look the DEMS are finally doing something to help the neighborhood?" In reality it adds to flight because its another unnecessary cost of property ownership in the imploded City. Downtown has a double tax to support the DSIC nit wits. In the neighborhoods here come the Code Enforcers for more revenue enhancement. No wonder there are almost a thousand properties for sale in the City-with few buyers in sight.