The Somersworth City Council adopted an ordinance last week that will allow the city to fine property owners who won’t clean up their property.
The new ordinance enables the city to fine landlords if they don’t comply with requests to clean up their property. There is a $100 fine for the first offense and a $275 fine for the second offense.
“I’m calling it a ‘good citizenship’” ordinance, Mayor Dana Hilliard said. “A broken window leads to more broken windows, and it’s the same with unwanted trash, or people not taking care of their properties.”
Hilliard said the ordinance has been in development for “several years.” The council was able to implement it this year thanks to a bill sponsored by Sen. David Watters (D-Durham) that allows municipalities to fine property owners for violations of local land-use ordinances. That bill was passed in 2014 and took effect this year.
Previously, Hilliard said the city’s options were limited when it came to asking landlords to clean up garbage and maintain their properties.
“We certainly could threaten and put pressure on them and, in some cases, even fine them, but there wasn’t something that … backed us up at the state level,” he said.
Hilliard said Somersworth is the first community to enact such an ordinance, but he expects others to follow.
“I don’t think there’s a community in the state that can’t point to that one apartment building, or that one property owner who simply doesn’t care,” he said.
According to Hilliard, city code enforcement officers won’t be “driving around looking for violations.” But if they do see, for example, garbage piled up on a property, they can now fine the property owner. Hilliard expects residents will keep an eye on their neighborhoods.
“It’s really the community that starts community policing. All of us care about our property,” he said.
Some property owners expressed concerns about the ordinance’s enforcement at last week’s council meeting. According to Hilliard, they were worried they might be held accountable for the actions of their tenants. However, Hilliard said the city wants to work with landlords on cleaning up properties.
“We’re not out to ‘get’ them; we’re out to work with them,” he said. “Our goal is to have a cleaner city and a city more reflective of the values of citizens at large.”