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SCHENECTADY
City sweeps to look for code violations
BY KATHLEEN MOORE Gazette Reporter


The city’s new focus on code enforcement is now extending to homeowners. The city is announcing its neighborhood code sweeps, which have been highly unpopular in the past. But this time, they’re trying what new Building Inspector Eric Shilling calls a “feelgood” approach. On the fi rst visit, enforcers will leave a “courtesy notice” to point out violations, rather than an offi cial citation. The letter will say, “Just as a courtesy, we’re letting you know this is in violation.” The idea is to assume that homeowners are not intentionally ignoring problems. “I think most people would not be aware of what’s in violation of the city code,” Shilling said. “There’s a lot of communication that needs to happen.”
    He said residents likely see peeling paint and other problems as minor issues. But he believes they add to the overall appearance of a deteriorating city.
    “We thought this would be a good way to help people understand,” he said.
    Enforcers will also leave thankyou notes for those who repair the problems noted in the courtesy letters.
    And, unlike past sweeps, these won’t be a surprise: the schedule is being posted on the city’s website.
    Code enforcers will run sweeps every other Tuesday. In the winter — November through March — they will run sweeps once a month on the fi rst Tuesday.
    “We’re trying to systematically go through the neighborhoods, a section at a time, rather than sporadically,” Shilling said, calling the schedule “user-friendly” to property owners.
    On the first visit, enforcers will leave a notice that asks homeowners to make repairs within a specific timeframe. If they do so, they will not be charged.
    But if enforcers return to find that the problem hasn’t been fi xed, homeowners might get cited. That comes with a $50 fee.
    Among the items the enforcers will review are open cracks in foundation walls; rotting boards or holes in exterior walls; chipped or peeling paint; proper porch railings; missing siding; safe electrical service connections; structurally sound porches, decks, steps and roofs; deteriorating chimneys or bricks; unsanitary conditions; and deteriorated or stagnant swimming pools. .................>>>>.......................>>>>.........................http://www.dailygazette.net/De.....r01102&AppName=1

Cool - winter is the best time to paint outdoors!

sheesh

At least they're communicating - but this just seems like a money grab.

Guess this means Hamilton Hill will look awsome by the end of summer

And why is this being done?

Politics.

People complain about the Popolizio-type property owners.   So, politics enters in and the dems say "we are going to do something"

And they will cite owners and this will be the result:

The Popolizio type owners will continue to weasel there way out of it, any fines, etc get added to the tax bill which the Popolizio type don't pay, they they declare bankruptcy so they get out of paying, but they continue collecting the rent.

Then there are the average single-home homeowners, strugging financially to pay almost the highest taxes in the whole dang country, trying little by little to make repairs.  Perhaps last fall the homeonwer said "I have to replace the porch next summer" and then in December the furnace bit the dust, so they had to replace the furnace and used the money they had saved and were going to use to replace the porch this year.   And since the homeowner paid (via taxes) for the furnaces in the downtown buildings, and since the homeowner is paying the taxes of the downtown millionaires, the homeowner was unable to save for a porch AND a furnace.   So the homeowner will get cited by the city for the porch and will not have the funds for the type of attorney that the Popolizio type owners have.   This will then make the already financially struggling homeowner incur even more burden, perhaps having to take on additional debt to fund the porch replacement which could result in having too much debt which will lower their credit score which will make it more expensive to buy a car (higher interest rate for example), etc.

And will the downtown millionaires help the homeonwers?    Not on your life.

And if worse comes to worse, those homeowners will just say "the heck with it" and move out of the city.

Don't get me wrong, Decrepit properties must be addressed, but the dems need to go after the big time Popolizio types.   But we all know they won't do that because they are more interested in rewarding them.   The dems actually reward the worst of the worst - the hotel Foster building downtown - slumlord who caused a million dollars in damage to that historic building, didn't spend a penny to repair it, didn't spend a penny to fix the building.   They bought the building cheap, never put any money into it, let it sit and rot, didn't pay taxes on it,  and the dems rewarded them with exempting them from paying the delinquent taxes on the building AND the dems GAVE them a whopping quarter of a million dollars of the taxpayers money on top of that!    And one wonderw why homeonwers in the city struggle and are fleeing the city.

Quoted from BuckStrider

Guess this means Hamilton Hill will look awsome by the end of summer

They're slowly bringing Hamilton Hill back to what it once was.

A barren land, inhabited only by savages and rodents.

It's a Renaissance, haven't you heard?

Quoted from Tommy

They're slowly bringing Hamilton Hill back to what it once was.

A barren land, inhabited only by savages and rodents.

It's a Renaissance, haven't you heard?

The seniors are the ones that really need the help these days...

Where's Habitat for Humanity....or volunteers from the College....????

oppps.....didn't include the single parents and ones without jobs......that leads us to believe that there will a lot of fines.....

BUT   this isn't for the welfare recipients...the ones that don't have a job....work the system....leave their rentals in a disgraceful mess.

That's when the landlord should be exonerated and charges against the renter.......AND a registry kept....all offenders...

and after reports of damage, etc.,   not to rent at all....maybe then they will bo back to where they came from.....

NYC ....and the like...

Codes enforcement should be just what it says, the codes are written for a reason and need to be enforced.  As we all all know there are many absentee landloards renting their properties out and collecting the rent and not making any upgrades to their properties.  Many illegal apartments and abandoned building in this city. I am glad to see these sweeps to try to get control of these buildings, it's only for the benifit of the occupants and the first responders.  I don't see this as a party affilation, people (homeowners landloards and tenents) need to held accountable for the way they live, someones life may depend on it.

Quoted from Tommy

They're slowly bringing Hamilton Hill back to what it once was. A barren land, inhabited only by savages and rodents. It's a Renaissance, haven't you heard?

"A deteriorating City"? Just last November everything was peachy keen. A feel good approach to revenue generation. Will the code enforcers also visit City property? lol. More nonsense from the implosion crew. Another reason to call your realtor.

Gee, what a wonderful idea.  Now, here's a question, do the code enforcers get paid the same amount as one of the Rotterdam Town Board members? After all, they're expected to work just as often, as per this schedule.  They're checking two times on each part of town?  And can't be bothered to keep their schedule to every 2 weeks?  Need to be doing it just 2 times a month?  I would think that this would be their DAILY JOB, you know, something they should be doing EVERY DAY!  How are they to know if someone cleans up an issue after the second run-through of any area?  Maybe there's more pools towards the second half of the schedule?  That way they can make more money with people who don't take care of them?

Really Rampage????? These people do work everyday M-F, these sweeps are conducted with members of all departments police, fire codes etc.

Really plateump?  Then why is there a need for these "sweeps" if the job is already being done?  Why do they need to get everything checked on specific dates if they're already checking it on a daily basis as you state?  If there's so many people doing it already and it's such a success why would we need to publicize that they'll be doing it?

Quoted from rampage

Really plateump?  Then why is there a need for these "sweeps" if the job is already being done?  Why do they need to get everything checked on specific dates if they're already checking it on a daily basis as you state?  If there's so many people doing it already and it's such a success why would we need to publicize that they'll be doing it?

You are correct. And wasn't it just a while ago that the city council said that 'they' were also going to go out and check on properties in violations of codes!!! I mean really...........!!!

They can slap all the violations they want on these absentee slum lords....ain't nothin' gonna happen!!

And the rest of the folks are the ones struggling to pay their taxes and just can't afford the 'extras'!! Slap them with code violation fees.....and the city will have even more vacant properties on their hands!

It is a mess that the liberals created and there is absolutely no easy way out of it!! How many years have we been reading in the gazetto about 'code sweeps'???? And the city still looks like a bomb went off!! There is 60% on welfare and that is just the way the liberals like it........an illiterate dumbed down society that can't think for themselves!

This is just another failed attempt at a dog and pony show!!!!

Code enforcement is useless...The property owners hold the cards.  If the city wants to discourage people from buying property in the city and encourage people to walk away from their property in the city, then have strict code enforcement, high taxes, failing schools, and violent crime.  You couldn't give me a piece of property in that city.  The city officials are paying city cops six figure salaries, they are talking about purchasing brand new suburbans for them, and they want to nickel and dime people with code enforcement violations?  When 5 years of property taxes is equal or greater than the value of the property, people don't have trouble walking away.

Until the city government starts getting their house in order, I say good luck attracting investors into the city.  The only way people invest in that city is through bribes given by the crime syndicate metroplex.  People are beginning to wake up to the scam.  With a poorly educated population, they were able to run the scam for over a decade.