UPDATE 10:44 AM: The measure was introduced at the pre-council meeting Tuesday and sent to a committee for review next week.
Councilman William Carroll said while he supports the goal of getting buildings occupied he’s concerned the proposal won’t hold up. Carroll said he worried that singling out owners of vacant properties in downtown only may be discriminatory, and gradually steeper fees may be a burden that forces property owners to sell.
City Attorney Ricardo Woods argued that vacant properties and commercial building owners are not protected classes and focusing enforcement downtown is the same as the city tearing down a blighted neighborhood or declaring an area historic…