Shannon Meadows, Community Development Director for the City of Springfield, said the registry will require property owners of all residential structures that have been vacant for 90 days or more to register.
The registry will provide a 24/7 point of contact for emergencies and city code problems.
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“When we talk about the vacant property conditions and problems that we have within the city of Springfield, and we think about the toolbox we have today, all we have in there is a tape measure,” Meadows said. “This is a major tool in the toolbox to move forward to have accountable property owners that we can contact in case of emergency, but also hold accountable when there are code violations that are affecting the life, safety and depreciation of the rest of the neighborhood.”
Under the ordinance, there is a $100 yearly registration fee for each property. Properties must also be secure to keep out people and weather, and owners must submit an up-to-date inspection report about any problems within the property.
City of Springfield Planning, Zoning and Code Administrator Steve Thompson said at the first reading of the ordinance that one of the focuses of the registry is meant to, “protect the lives of first responders.”
“Part of the application you have to list if there are any holes in any floors, missing stairways to any basement or any other structural issues that first-responders should know prior to coming into a property,” Thompson said.
Springfield Fire and Rescue Chief Brian Miller spoke to the city commission in early readings of the ordinance for that reason.
“About half of our fires in the year are in vacant homes and most recently, about a month ago, we had two firefighters injured at a vacant property,” Miller said.
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In addition to protecting first responders, Meadows said the registry will also help to enhance neighborhoods.
“That way we’re not continuing to sit with blocks on end that one side is vacant, and one side is not and the side that’s not is suffering because of the disinvestment,” Meadows said.
Meadows said the registry will be a, “proactive tool, not a punitive tool.”
“There’s a problem at a house now we can make that notification to a responsible owner and they can get it corrected before it becomes a punitive enforcement,” Meadows said.
The commission approved the ordinance Tuesday night with three commissioners in favor, Rob Rue, David Estrop and Warren Copeland, and two abstaining, Kevin O’Neill and Joyce Chilton.
The registry will now go into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.