The board that votes on whether vacant buildings should be demolished when they are found to be out of compliance with city codes has not had new members appointed to it and its meetings are not being broadcast to the public.
The Atlanta City Council wants to change that.
Atlanta property owners typically have 30 days to resolve violations after Atlanta police issue citations. The city can bring these properties before a five-member board — a process known as “in rem,” which is Latin for “against a thing.”
“Those that are not able to come down (to City Hall) need to be able to see these proceedings, and we need to get those board members,” City Councilwoman Andrea Boone said.
Addressing the seriousness of this, Boone added: “I am really concerned that we have not ― in 2023 — we are not publicizing those meetings. That is a real issue for me.”
Councilmembers Boone and Michael Julian Bond said the board’s meetings should be broadcast on ATL 26, the city’s public TV channel. Boone urged the council to draft legislation immediately to require it.
Boone’s comments came following an in rem presentation from the Atlanta auditor’s office. A new city audit based on 2008 through May 2022 revealed the city is compliant with in rem requirements.
However, Performance Audit Supervisor Myra Hagley told the public safety and finance executive council committees last week the city isn’t using the “full potential” of its software to track the demolition process.
“We found that 92% of properties demolished by the city using the in rem proceedings were not registered in the vacant property registry,” Hagley said. “Some property owners may be unware that their property has been referred to the in rem process.”
Boone said the city needs to get its demolition process right. She noted the city is already dealing with two highly publicized issues concerning the process, and one of those cases is the subject of litigation.
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC
The other case involves a $700,000 lien against a man’s property after city razed the building. That issue was reported by WSB-TV.
Meanwhile, the councilmembers at last Monday’s committee meeting also discussed several other aspects of the process. Bond even asked about legislation for a citywide fund from the sale proceeds of blighted properties.
Atlanta City Council’s next full meeting is Monday, which is when they could introduce new legislation concerning the demolition process.
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