Bring back options for dealing with derelict properties, city council tells staff

“Our neighbours deserve better,” Edwards said. “We have too many boarded up houses in the city. We have too many homes that have had fires that are being left and not being dealt with, or maybe they’re being dealt with, but not quick enough.”

Edwards pointed to Edmonton’s program, saying that city has used a more aggressive approach to properties that are unsecured or repeatedly targeted. He said Prince Albert should examine options such as requiring security at problem sites and billing the costs back to the owner.

“If I’m a property owner that’s getting billed daily on security, I think I’m probably going to deal with it.”

Administration cautioned that the final approach will depend on whether council chooses to proceed through assessment tools, tax tools or a separate policy framework. Director of Finance George Marshall said a tax-based approach would not necessarily require reassessing every property, but other staff would still need to be involved in identifying which properties qualify.

“If we do this through an assessment class, then obviously an assessor has to be involved,” Marshall said. “If you look at an Edmonton case, can we do this strictly through tax tools or through some other kind of policy? And the answer with that is yes, of course we can.”

City solicitor Mitch Holash said property owners would still have appeal rights, particularly if a designation affected how a property was treated under assessment legislation. More time is needed to review the issue in detail before recommendations can be made.

Coun. Dawn Kilmer said the key question is not simply how to create a tax category, but how to reduce the overall number of neglected properties in Prince Albert.

“What is a combination of tools that will measurably reduce the Prince Albert inventory of boarded up, abandoned and derelict properties?”, Kilmer asked. She said a future bylaw should include a clear definition of derelict properties, a process for identifying them and practical tools to encourage compliance.

Mayor Bill Powalinsky supported focusing on outcomes, but asked administration to consider possible unintended consequences, including whether some owners might simply walk away from properties rather than pay higher costs.

“The focus is on the outcome, and that outcome is to reduce the number of derelict properties in the most efficient and effective way,” Powalinsky said. He asked whether other communities have seen owners hand properties over to banks or municipalities when demolition costs exceed the property’s value.

Marshall said administration did not have those figures immediately available, but could include that context in a follow-up report.

Coun. Dan Brown said Edmonton’s model appeared to involve multiple departments working together, including fire, police and bylaw enforcement. He said Prince Albert should not have to start from scratch if another municipality already has a program that works.

“We don’t have to reinvent the wheel,” Brown said. “It’s already working in another jurisdiction.”

Council eventually directed administration to return with a more detailed report. Edwards said that report should include a definition of a derelict property, the current process for dealing with such properties, the obstacles staff face in gaining compliance, options for mill rate subclasses that could raise taxes on derelict properties, and potential enforcement tools such as mandated security for unsecured properties.

The motion passed unanimously, with councillors saying they want the information back before the next budget and tax cycle if possible.

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susan.mcneil@pattisonmedia.com

by Susan McNeil

Bring back options for dealing with derelict properties, city council tells staff

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