A proposed unit of Reading’s property maintenance division would specifically target blighted properties.
Jamal Abodalo, director of community development, introduced the concept at council’s committee of the whole meeting Monday.
“The reason why we are creating a special unit is simply because we would like to take an assertive and more aggressive approach towards blighted properties within the city,” he said, noting the list of about 263 blighted properties is surging.
The list is probably the tip of the iceberg, said Councilman O. Christopher Miller said.
“It’s probably closer to 500 or more,” he said.
Miller, who serves with Councilwoman Melissa Ventura on the city’s Blighted Property Review Committee, said deterioration can be expected as many of the city’s buildings are 100 years old.
The city needs to be aware of that and prepare for it, he said.
Demolition is not always the answer, Miller said, noting he would prefer to see decrepit buildings rehabilitated and returned to the city’s tax roll.
Miller’s comments came just days after the city took action to stabilize a long-dormant church building at the southwest corner of Perkiomen Avenue and Spruce Street.
Originally St. Cecilia’s Chapel, a mission of St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Church, the building was deemed in danger of collapse.
The church was not on the blighted property list, Council President Donna Reed noted.
“Fortunately, nothing fell in the street and hurt anyone,” Reed said, calling for the identification of similar structural problems and needed action before they become public safety hazards.
The subject of a blighted property comes up at council meetings about every three months, Miller said.
St. Cecilia’s, the former Lincoln Chemical building on South Ninth Street and the former Mineral Spring Hotel building at the end of South 19th Street became public safety hazards months after concerns were raised by council. All three recently required emergency action, beginning with the demolition in April last year of the former hotel, which was damaged by fire.
Miller also noted council raised concerns about the condition of an old warehouse on the corner of Elm and Reed streets.
“I mean, really, we have a conversation every three months about a blighted property,” he said, “and it’s usually about a major property that could be a catastrophe if something happened, it caught on fire or if it fell into the street. And we need to start taking action.”
There is a proposed amendment to a city ordinance that would create two positions dedicated to addressing blighted buildings. That could help the city get a handle on the problem, officials said.
Introduced in April, the proposal would add a blight/transfer officer at $67,434 and blight/transfer inspector at $52,618.
It would eliminate the property maintenance supervisor position at $61,197 and one property maintenance inspector at $50,538.
Miller, Ventura and other council members expressed concerns about the possible elimination of what they say are critical positions in the property maintenance division.
“These positions are needed,” Miller said, “but so are the codes department (jobs) so that we stop having blighted properties.”
Due to budgetary constraints, Abodalo explained, the positions would be temporarily put on hold to fund the new positions.
All four jobs could be built into the 2025 budget, he noted.
Abodalo was vague when asked who would take up the slack left by pausing the maintenance and inspector jobs.
Should council pass the bill, city personnel in the eliminated positions would be transferred to the newly created positions, and the workload would be redistributed among existing staff, Managing Director William Heim said.
“We’re not eliminating any position; we’re just specializing positions,” Heim said “That’s why we do have new job descriptions. We are asking for a bump in salary for added responsibilities.”
Heim said the move would be akin to the police department creating a special unit from its force to attack a specific problem, such as four-wheelers and dirt bikes on the streets.
But redistributing job duties will only increase the burden on a division that is already understaffed, Ventura said.
The specific duties of the blight officer would include researching and inspecting the properties on the list and tracking any property sales or transfers, Abodalo said.
“We will be able to identify these immediately and will be able to secure and guarantee a process through which the new owner will have to comply with certain requirements (for building rehabilitation),” he said.
The blight inspector would have similar duties with a focus on monitoring the progress of blighted properties sold for rehabilitation and getting them back into the tax revenue stream, Abodalo said.
The inspector also would be responsible for administrative tasks such as tracking down property owners and following up on liens filed to recoup the city’s costs for stabilization measures or demolition.
Other duties include facilitating coordination among the property maintenance division, the Blighted Property Review Committee, Reading Redevelopment Authority and nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity, all of which deal with the issue of blight, Abodalo said.
Councilman Jaime Baez Jr. said he supports the concept of the special task force but not the elimination of the property maintenance jobs.
“Why eliminate the other positions?” he asked. “Why not keep them open? Aren’t you going to be even more short-staffed in other aspects?”
That could be done, Abodalo said, but not while staying within the limits of the 2024 budget.
Heim said the two property maintenance positions could be included in the 2025 budget.
“We also need to put some serious money into demolition acquisition and demolition of blighted properties if we really want to get serious with this,” Heim said, later noting about $5 million would be needed.
“We’ve been serious,” Ventura rebutted. “We’ve been talking about this; this didn’t just happen.”
Source: Berkshire mont