Councilman dispels misconceptions about Vacant Property Ordinance
Dear Editor:
I’m writing this first to say thank you to members of the community for the support received over the City passing the Vacant Property Ordinance. Your kind words, encouragement, and hand written notes are extremely appreciated.
Second, I want to answer some questions and clear up some misconceptions.
Third, I want to make clear that I’m writing this on my own and should not in any way be considered to be representing the thoughts of any other member of the City Council or the Mayor.
How did this get started?
Several years ago a survey was sent out to the residents of Grant, and it identified many concerns of the people. Number 1 was the Vacant Properties in town. Number 2 was the lack of Economic Development, Number 3 was the appearance of the Downtown Street, and Number 4 was Housing.
As you can see we are working on the Downtown street and that project is set to be completed this year.
How do vacant properties affect the town?
Vacant Properties drop property values, decrease economic development, are a fire risk to their neighbors, encourage vermin, they are a health and safety risk, and they discourage neighborhood stability. This is not a complete list, but all of these cause an increase in cost to the taxpayers of Grant.
Bottom line, vacant properties hurt the town of Grant, hurt our neighbors, and stick the taxpayers with the bill.
Returning vacant properties to occupied properties means economic growth because there are more businesses in town. It helps with the housing problem we deal with because of being landlocked. The passage of this ordinance shows that this City Government listens to the voters of Grant by tackling the top 4 concerns of our community.
Why are there fees?
Because it is wrong for the taxpayers to foot the bill and not the vacant property owner. As has been said several times in City Council meetings, we don’t want to make any money from fees. We want vacant properties to be occupied.
What if I want to keep my vacant property?
Then keep it. Just pay your fee when it’s due.
Are there exceptions to the fees?
There are several exceptions, for example:
• You only live in Grant part of the year.
• You have a rental property that was damaged and you can’t rent it until it is fixed.
• Your property is vacant because of a court proceeding.
• You are actively working to return a vacant property to being occupied.
Misconception
“The City was advised by 2 lawyers not to pass the Ordinance.”
This is a situation where you would need to listen to the whole conversation, not just part of it. This was also a job interview where the City was deciding whether or not to hire these attorneys. At the end of the entire conversation and some clarifying questions, the 1st attorney said we could pass our ordinance if we also put fees in a resolution. Fees in a resolution is the standard process we follow in Grant. The 2nd attorney said we could go ahead and pass the ordinance if we decided not to hire them and would be administering it ourselves. In addition, the 2nd attorney said the door was still open to working with them in the future on this issue. The City decided not to hire these attorneys at this time. Furthermore, our excellent City Attorney said that the current written ordinance was defensible. Finally, The Nebraska Legislature unanimously passed the law in 2018 to address the issue of Vacant Properties in Nebraska (Statute 19-5401). The City of Grant passed an Ordinance that is consistent with state law.
On personal note, I moved to Grant close to a decade ago. I found this place to be a great place to live, settle, and continue to raise my family. I want to see Grant continue to be a wonderful place to live, grow, have a business, and raise a family. Everything I do is focused on that future. God bless you, God bless Grant, and God bless America.
Sincerely,
Grant City Councilman,
Dr. Samuel R. Sims