Vacant property fees to increase in Oneonta, NY

Oneonta, NY: Increases to vacant property registration fees likely to increase soon, as ordinance becomes more established.

 

After instigating an ordinance in 2014 where vacant property owners had to register with the city and pay a $500 fee, further evaluation of the program has shown more steps might be necessary to keep blight from perpetuating.

 

The proposed changes to the ordinance would maintain the $500 annual fee for registration, but increase the fee by an additional $500 for each additional year, with a cap of $2,000 annually for those properties remaining vacant beyond four years.

 

The ordinance and increase to fees is due to a state-wide evaluation of the time involved in the foreclosure process, to alleviate blight, and the potential for cities to incur additional costs as properties remain in a limbo of sorts where establishing the property as vacant with a particular owner is difficult.

 

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