Absentee Landlord and Vacant Building Management

If there is one thing this wicked winter has thought us it is the importance of our city’s Absentee Landlord registration and our Vacant Building registry. As the inches upon inches of snow have continued to fall coupled with the occasional rain/ice storm many neighbors have been asking, “Who is going to clean that sidewalk?” Often referring to a building that sits vacant or one owned by a known out-of-town owner. A well facilitated registry program is the answer to the question. The data that is required to be submitted by the property owner to the city allows city officials quick access to all pertinent contact information to seek a timely remedy to an issue that may arise.

In 2008, the city adopted a Landlord Registry. This program requires all property owners who live 20 miles or more outside the city limits to register their property with the city. The property owner is required to provide all pertinent contact information for themselves and for their required property manager. The process to register is simple. Either in person or via mail the owner has to complete an application which can be found on the city’s website or at city hall. Ninety days after taking ownership of the property this application needs to be completed and on file with the city. (Note: all properties owned by out-of-town landlords must have been registered within 90 of the passing of the registry in 2008.) The application fee of $150 will be waived if the property owner registers within these 90 days. If the owner does not register, the $150 fee is required plus an additional $75 fee for each 60 day period until the property is registered. Any fees that remain unpaid during a calendar year will be added to the tax levy of the affected property. Should a property remain unregistered the city can being action against the property owner and should they be found in violation, the owner will be subject of a fine up to $500. This registry provides the city with effective means of contacting and seeking remedy to any issue that may occur at a non-owner occupied property. In the past tracking down an owner or the owner’s representative presented city officials with challenges, especially with those who reside well out of the area. Owners are required to register their property every three years.

The city’s vacant building registry has been in place for a number of years now, but recently it has been updated. To be considered vacant a building must: A. be unoccupied and not secured or not boarded in compliance with the standards set forth in the city code; B. be unoccupied and not maintained in compliance with the standards set forth in the city code; C. be posted as "Unfit for Human Habitation" by the City of Troy Bureau of Code Enforcement; D. be illegally occupied; or E. be unoccupied for a period of time over three months. Vacant buildings can pose a serious health and safety issue to their neighborhoods. If they’re not secured and maintained properly they could be a breeding ground for unsavory activity and if they’re not well maintained they could fall victim to continued vandalism and severe dilapidation. Just as the landlord registry, there is a fee schedule. The city’s desire is to have these properties occupied and valuable assets to the community. So, an aggressive fee schedule has been developed to encourage owners to occupy them in a timely manner. The first year registration fee is $250, which along with the registry application and a plan for the property must be submitted to the city within 30 days of the building be declared vacant. Each year thereafter the registration fee increases: 2nd year is $500, 3rd year is $1,000, 4th year is $1,500, 5th year and each succeeding year is $2,000. Note that vacant building fees for buildings of 5,000 square feet or greater shall be doubled.

Why are programs like this important? They compel neglectful property owners to be responsible for their properties. City officials now have the most current information for the property owners and their representatives enabling them to effectively communicate in the event of an emergency or violation. Well maintained and occupied properties improve neighborhoods, increase property values and marketability, and prevent neighborhoods from falling into despair. They help provide all of us with the quality-of-life we desire.

2nd Annual Children’s Safety Fair Scheduled for Saturday in Lansingburgh

The North Lansingburgh Neighborhood Watch will be holding their second annual “Neighborhood Children’s Safety Day” this coming Saturday, June 19th at Powers Park in Lansingburgh with the support of the Missing Link Street Ministry/ Feed-A-Kid Program and Pastor Willie Bacote during their bi-weekly flea market.

Several activates are scheduled to educate children and their parents on how to live and play safely. Members of the neighborhood group will be joined by the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s Department, Troy Police and Fire Departments, Whitney Young Health Services, and the Troy Family YMCA.

Last year we had over 60 children participate in the program. The timing of this event is intended to coincide with the beginning of school districts summer vacation. Our goal is to provide the children of the community one last refresher course on how to live and play safely. During the course of the summer they will be out playing, riding bikes, or in some cases, home alone and we need to do our job to ensure the kids know how to prevent an emergency from happening and understand the right steps to take in the event one does.

Each participating agency will present specific information to educate and bring awareness on how to prevent and deal with the everyday occurrences that children may encounter.

• The Sheriff’s Department will be conducting the state-wide initiative - Operation SAFE CHILD, which was created to raise awareness about child safety. The program will provide photo ID cards, which contain fingerprint and biographical data, to individuals under the age of 18. The goal of this program is to record and store the fingerprints, basic biographical information and photographs of children, who are not missing, information critical to expediting the return of a missing child.
• The Troy Fire Department will be educating attendees on the best fire prevention practices, how to react in the event of a fire, and how to prevent common playground injuries. Children will also enjoy the opportunity of “touring” a Troy Fire Engine.
• The Troy Police Department will be conducting a bike safety program and will be distributing a limited number of bike helmets on a first come first serve basis.
• Members of Whitney Young Heath Center’s Troy practice will be discussing the preventive dental and medical services they offer locally.
• The Troy Family YMCA discussing the summer, youth & teen programs, camps and other activities offered throughout the year at their facility.

“Summer is here and better weather means more opportunities to get out and play. It also means kids need to be more aware of safety tips when they’re playing, like wearing a helmet when riding your bike,” said Mayor Harry Tutunjian. “Safe communities are comprised of safe kids and it’s good to see our neighborhood associations like the North Lansingburgh Neighborhood Watch take the lead on issues like this.”

Many of the local public service agencies have outreach programs geared to educate people on specific information We have the finest public safety agencies and youth programs available locally and having them participate in this program once again will prove to be a great benefit to the children and parents of our community.

For more information please contact Jim Gordon, 365-2270 or email jgordon003@nycap.rr.com.

Who: North Lansingburgh Neighborhood Watch
What: 2nd Annual Neighborhood Children’s Safety Day Where: Powers Park, Third Avenue side between 110th and 111th Street, Troy NY
When: Saturday, June 19, 2010 12:00 - 1:30pm

Photos from last years Safety Day...

Curfew Crack Down

Since our neighborhood group began meeting, one of the most common complaints we receive from our members is juvenile nuisance. In Lansingburgh we have see at all the time, at all hours of the evening and night, groups of kids walking up and down the boulevards and loitering on various streets. True, not every kid is causing an issue, but like anything else in life a few bad apples spoil it for the whole bunch. The last two springs and summers we have experienced a heightened level of petty crimes caused by kids. Most popular among them are vehicular vandalism and break-ins and minor property damage. Why they do these things we’ll never know, but how can we prevent it is more important question.

We have asked for a number of years now why don’t we enforce the curfew law we have on the books as a start to break this habit of kids roaming the streets at all hours of the day and night. In the past we have been given a number of reasons why this wasn’t a feasible. Last month during our regular neighborhood meeting new Chief of Police John Tedesco addressed our group as our guest speaker. Once again the question of curfew came up. Chief Tedesco, without batting an eye, said this law will be enforced. This past weekend the Troy police picked up 20 kids who were in violation of the city’s curfew law in one night. This is a great start. Many of the everyday, petty issues that the residents experience and that frustrate us the most are caused by ill guided minors. I applaud the Chief and the police department of enacting and enforcing this detail as quickly as they did. Across the board I believe we are going to see a big change in the effectiveness of the police department as summer roles on, this is not to say it wasn’t effective in the past because it was. I just think that now the next generation of improvements will be put into place and will have a great and positive impact on the quality-of-life of our neighborhoods.

However, one aspect that I feel is missing is parental accountability. That's why I am glad to learn that the curfew ordinance carries a fine and community services for repeat offenders. The first time a minor is picked up will result in a letter and the violation notice sent to the parents, but each additional offense will result in the parents facing penalties. Starting with the second violation a fine of $100 and 25 hours of community service will be "awarded." The community service will be be performed by a parent and the minor. The fines and community service continue with each violation, but for those who are repeat violators notification will also be sent to the Rensselaer County Department of Social Services or child protective services. I would imagine that for the majority of kids that would be picked up for a curfew violation will never violate again, because I could only imagine what would have happened to me if my parents were called late in the night to pick me up at the police station for doing something I shouldn’t have been doing.

Along the lines of the City’s curfew law, educate yourself and your children so they don’t get picked up for being in violation and you make that take a trip down to the police department to pick them up. The city’s curfew for those under the age of 18 begins at 10:30 pm and ends at 6 am on weekday and Sunday nights and begins at 11:30 pm on Friday and Saturday.

Tonight, Tuesday June 8 beginning at 7pm is our monthly neighborhood watch meeting at the Lansingburgh Boys and Girls Club. If you’d like to join us, our guest speakers this month are Bob Reiter and County Executive Kathy Jimino on hand to discuss benefits available for Veterans who reside in the county. Also, because there have been several questions and concerns as to who receives and dispatches emergency and non-emergency calls (270-4411 and 9-1-1) and how it works, we will have Dir. of Rensselaer County Public Safety Kelly Paslow and Deputy Dir. Mark Balistreri to discuss their service and answer questions.