JANUARY 5, 2018, KEIZERTIMES, PAGE A9
VACANT,
continued from Page A1
he splits his time between
working for the city and the
Keizer Police Department.
While
the
problems
occurring at the Sieburg
home are relatively low-key
and the structure itself appears
unsafe for any occupancy,
Keizer police ended up
clearing out squatters at two
other abandoned homes in
2017.
In February 2017, KPD
offi cers executed a search
warrant on a home at
the corner of 14th Street
Northeast and Mistletoe
Loop Northeast. Two sisters
and their families along with
others were found inside.
Crosby found solid waste
violations, piles of trash in and
around the home and a busted
pick-up with expired plates as
some of the most prominent
violations. The women were
cited for criminal trespass and
hit with $35,000 fi nes. The
house had been in foreclosure.
In August 2017, police
rousted squatters from a home
on Rivercrest Drive North
where a woman had not only
moved into a foreclosed home,
but also began subletting other
spaces inside and running a
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
LEFT: The ceiling of a bedroom at the rear of a vacant house
has fallen in and mold is overtaking the interior. ABOVE: Cast
off tools and appliances fi ll a detached shed.
off living spaces in the garage.
The problem is two-fold,
one that Keizer doesn't have
much say in and the other
which could allow the city to
daycare on the premises. By
the time police were able
to get a search warrant, the
occupants were in the process
of creating additional, walled-
orthodontics for children,
adolescents & adults
OUR KEIZER OFFICE
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track the problem better if the
city council chose to adopt
new ordinances regarding
such homes.
The fi rst problem is
tracking ownership.
“In some of the cases, the
bank starts the foreclosure
process and starts sending
notices to the families who
abandon the home knowing
they aren't going to be able to
pay for it,” Crosby said.
That leaves the property in
limbo. While the family might
still have their name on the
deed, the bank typically isn't in
any rush to assume ownership
and all of the associated
maintenance costs. Even if the
city had the authority to hit
the owner with penalties or
fi nes for excess trash, noxious
vegetation
or
disrepair,
it would soon become a
question of where to send the
bill and no assurance that it
would ever get paid.
It would also require the
city to adopt an ordinance
enumerating the standards
that must be abided by
and the requisite penalties
for noncompliance. Keizer
doesn't yet have such an
ordinance.
The closest the city got
was a discussion at a Planning
Commission meeting in
August 2015. Commissioners
considered an ordinance that
would have put standards in
place along with fees and fi nes,
but it never made it to the city
council. In retrospect, Brown
thought the city had the cart
before the horse. The proposed
ordinance even included
watering expectations, but
commissioners balked at that.
“We kind of threw
everything into it and when
the legal department took a
look at it, we realized it wasn't
going to happen,” Brown said.
Brown
said
recent
discussions about other aspects
of the city's development code
have tried to address precisely
what current residents want
to see when properties are
developed, but those have
also run into headwinds.
For example, a discussion
regarding
establishing
a
public amenity fee on new
and remodeled commercial
properties died at the feet of
the Keizer City Council amid
pushback from the business
sector.
Brown said he's open to
directing some resources to
addressing the question of
what is acceptable as far as
vacant properties, but even
those simple discussions
quickly devolve into a
question of money and staff
time.
“We can talk about things
like specifi c penalties, but any
time you are dealing with
enforcement, you are dealing
with expenses for staff to have
the time to do it and possibly
more if it ends up in court,”
Brown said. Penalties could
be made stiffer for repeat
offenders within an ordinance.
Keizer could also look into
creating vacant home and
rental registries. Creating such
a database would allow the
city, and specifi cally Crosby, to
check in on homes on the list
to make sure they are up to
snuff. The registry would also
include a point of contact for
when things go awry.
According
to
the
website for the Center for
Community Progress, such
registries can be both a
carrot and a stick. Some have
employed graduated fees for
every year a property is vacant
in hope of motivating owners
to act more quickly and get
them occupied. Others offer
to rebate some of the registry
fees when buildings are
restored and put back to use.
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WorshipDirectory
These Salem-Keizer
houses of worship
invite you to visit.
Call to list your church
in our Worship Directory:
(503) 390-1051
John Knox Presbyterian Church
JOIN US FOR
SUNDAY WORSHIP
452 Cummings Lane North • 393-0404
8:30 am • 10 am • 11:30 am • 6 pm
PEOPLESCHURCH
4500 LANCASTER DR NE | SALEM
503.304.4000 • www.peopleschurch.com
Father Gary L. Zerr, Pastor
Saturday Vigil Liturgy: 5:30 p.m.
Sundays: 8:15 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.
La Misa en Español: 12:30 p.m.
Celebration
Services
Saturday Evening
6:00 pm
Children’s Programs, Student and Adult Ministries
1755 Lockhaven Dr. NE Keizer
503-390-3900
www.dayspringfellowship.com
Sunday Morning
9:00 am
and
10:45 am
www.KeizerChristian.org
Rev. Dr. John Neal, Pastor
Worship - 10:30 a.m.
Education Hour - 9:15 a.m.
Nursery Care Available
www.keizerjkpres.org