Vacant home ordinance passes

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South Bend, IN
Posted: 12:01 AM Nov 27, 2007
Last Updated: 8:40 AM Nov 27, 2007
Reporter: Marcie Kobriger
Email Address: marcie.kobriger@wndu.com

14 comments

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More than 500 homes are vacant in South Bend, and city leaders say some of those properties create problems for the whole city.

Monday night, the South Bend common council passed a bill, which they say will help them get problem properties under control.

Under the new ordinance, vacant homes will have to be registered with the city, and carry liability insurance

They must be boarded up according to specific guidelines, and have a manager, within 50 miles who can be reached 24-7.

Council member Charlotte Pfeifer, introduced the bill, and says the goal is to punish those who are not taking care of their property, while leaving responsible property owners and landloards be.

”This is for the people. This is for the neighbors. Any good realtor, and any just honest landlord has nothing to worry about,” Pfeifer says.

The ordinance passed 8-0.

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Comments are posted from viewers like you and do not always reflect the views of this station.

Posted by: Randy Location: South Bend on Nov 27, 2007 at 07:38 PM
The reason they continue to be reelected, just like the mayor, is that less than 30% of people vote. Until this changes, it will continue. They know that for the most part they're safe because of voter turn out. I wish on voting day, schools were out, and we used the school buses to transport people to vote. Twice per day in different sectors announced in the city, I mean all over! Then you wouldn't see this type of stuff, they'd be actually working for us, not the city. I'm ok with this idea, provided we do away with property taxes, and eliminate every position that has to do with property assessments, and let a person working a computer monitor it like other large corps. We don't need all these people, it's a joke, they need to retrain in other career fields. We have to do it in the private sector, so should they if needed. It's time to get a new job people. Can you imagine the money saved that's going nowhere currently? I like the people there, but it's time to move on.

Posted by: Anonymous on Nov 27, 2007 at 05:55 PM
Your brilliant city council at work again!

Posted by: How? Location: South Bend on Nov 27, 2007 at 05:17 PM
How do these people keep getting elected?!?!?!?

Posted by: RANDY Location: SOUTH BEND on Nov 27, 2007 at 04:35 PM
ALL THIS $$ FINE IS, IS A WAY TO GET A LITTLE MORE MONEY FROM A BANK FORECLOSURE OR FROM A BAD LANDLORD, OR SOME HOMEOWNER WHO SHOULDN'T BE A HOMEOWNER. NOTHING MORE THAN THAT. THE BIG PROBLEM I SEE IS THAT THIS LITTLE CITY COUNCEL SEEMS TO BE GETTING MORE POWER DAILY. WE'RE BECOMING A NATION SO DEPENDENT FROM OUR GOVERNMENT FORCING THEIR INTERNAL LAWS UPON US. SOCIALISM! GOOD LUCK GETTING MONEY FROM THE VACANT PROPERTIES. IF SOMEONE CAN'T SPEND MONEY ON THE PROPERTY TAXES, WHAT DID YOU THINK? THEY'RE GOING TO COME IN AND PAY YOU? YOU HAVE AN IDEA BASED ON EMOTION, BUT YOU GUYS ARE SOME OF THE WORST BUSINESS PEOPLE. NOW WHEN SOMEONE GET'S FINED, AND YOU SLAP A LIEN ON THE PROPERTY, ARE YOU 1ST ON THE RESALE? OR ARE YOU LAST? IF FIRST, THEN YOU'VE CREATED ADDITIONAL EMPLOYMENT FOR CODE ENFORCEMENT. I DO NOT WANT TO PAY FOR BENEFITS, INS., I.R.A. ... THROUGH MY TAXES WHEN YOU RUN SHORT OF MONEY! AND IF I SEE MORE CODE ENFORCEMENT VEHICLES, I'M GOING TO LET YOU HEAR IT!

Posted by: Southbend on Nov 27, 2007 at 03:05 PM
500 vacant homes? What happened to the 3500 figure before the elections???? I know the city hasn't tore down 3000 houses.

Posted by: Z Location: Indiana on Nov 27, 2007 at 01:34 PM
One question: If a landlord that has not taken care of their abandoned property and gets fined by the city, decides to have a bunch of friends come over and help clean up, does the landlord have to pay the fine before they can apply for the parking permits they will need for their guests? Our City Council is a joke. The consistently ignore the root causes of the issues they think they are fixing only to make matters worse. A perfect opportunity to reduce spending...stop paying these idiots.

Posted by: here Location: now on Nov 27, 2007 at 01:18 PM
I agree with KJ from South Bend! You make good points and I hope someone takes those good points to the people who can make the difference we need around here.

Posted by: Tony Location: South bend on Nov 27, 2007 at 12:45 PM
AL has a good point! We keep shoveling $ into the homeless shelters & now Kernan's baseball stadium!? R U kidding me? Any city owned vacant homes should be given to for profit builders with the clause of it being productive property for our community in 18 months! The money that should be spent in the future on this city should be to attract jobs. NOT SUPPORT HOMELESS OR MUSEUMS. With good jobs come homeowners who will make our city a better place to live! 1 last thought. These vacant homes that the owners are not willing to spend any $ on repair. Why would they pay the city a bill for the city to take care of them? Another democratic driven program that PROMOTES FAILURE. If I had the connections I would run for mayor & turn this city around. Although my soul would get in the way of me winning any election!

Posted by: KJ Location: South Bend on Nov 27, 2007 at 12:36 PM
The city is very hypocritical. I am all for the city working with property owners, but in this case I just wonder what the true motive is. How can the city scold property owners, when they allowed a young ladies body to remain in one of their over grown grass lots for months. It appears to me that the city doesn't care that much. If a property is abandoned, why doesn't the city take it over and use it to give some less fortunate hard working family a chance to own a home. Lets help people and by doing so we can cultivate our community.

Posted by: AL Location: SB on Nov 27, 2007 at 12:06 PM
The South Bend Common Council needs to look in the mirror. Why are there so many vacant houses in South Bend? Why not take measures to correct the unfair, unjust taxes on the working poor of South Bend. The people struggling to pay their gas, electric, water and property taxes. Does the city really think expanding Kernan's baseball stadium is in the working poors best interest? How about burdening the working poor with the cost of services to guest of the homeless center from out of South Bend, including ambulance runs, police calls, police security and legal cost for their guest? Why are the working poor expected to continue to fund the football Hall of Shame? The city needs to take measures to correct the ever expanding problem of vacant houses. Just look in the mirror SOUTH BEND COMMON COUNCIL, you will find the problem. Now fix it!

Posted by: Mike Location: South Bend on Nov 27, 2007 at 10:13 AM
Who is going to implement this policy. It's great to vote something in, but what is going to happen when these people still don't do anything. Just more "FLUFF" the city is telling us. If no one is taking care of the property now, what makes you think that by passing some ordinance that will change things. There are ordinances for the amount of people that can live in a home, cars parked around and in yards of homes who polices these and at what cost?

Posted by: Mike Location: Mishawaka on Nov 27, 2007 at 09:57 AM
Hooray! This will finally solve the problem with abandoned properties! Make the people who abandoned them responsible. Uh...

Posted by: Anonymous on Nov 27, 2007 at 09:42 AM
I think the owners of these houses should be made to either fix them up or they should be bulldozed down. They make the city look ugly.

Posted by: Matt Location: Mishawaka on Nov 27, 2007 at 09:33 AM
WOW!!! The common council strikes again. How about looking at the problem: Why can't landlord's rent the houses? Time for landlord's to sue the city seeing no insurance companies will allow you to carry liability insurance on vacant property! You know sometimes things seem great in theory. “Let’s kill all the terrorists” but people fail to think things through and realize its not feasible. First the party ordinance and now the housing. Sure crime is out of control, the schools are failing, the LWW corridor is a hell hole, police are getting shot and don’t trust their chief but lets work on the abandoned house issue. Maybe the abandoned houses are a RESULT from the problems listed above? Thanks for the band aid on the gunshot!