BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Birmingham City Council has enacted a new ordinance aimed at addressing problem properties throughout the city. The ordinance grants the city the authority to enforce liens and foreclose on homes associated with code violations and nuisance cases.
The new code enforcement ordinance allows Birmingham to reclaim non-owner-occupied blighted, vacant, or abandoned properties by foreclosing on unpaid code enforcement liens. These liens may include those for overgrown weeds or demolition costs. The city can initiate foreclosure proceedings after six months of unpaid liens if they exceed $1,500, involve nuisance abatements, or are related to delinquent taxes.
City leaders have expressed concern that problem properties are draining resources and negatively impacting neighborhoods. Valerie Abbott, a Birmingham City Councilor for District 3, said, “We have wasted a lot of money. We could’ve been paving the streets and doing things residents wanted us to do. Of course, the residents who live near these dilapidated properties are very upset, but it’s just the most of us want to spend money on positive things instead of negative things.”…