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The City of Schenectady says clean up or pay up.
The mayor's office, city codes, the city fire department, and the police department went street-by-street and door-to-door on Tuesday looking for code violations.
The mayor says in an effort to fight the blight he has to start holding homeowners and renters accountable.  If violations are found, homeowners and renters will first be warned.  If they don't correct the problem within a few weeks they will face fines.
This spring, the City of Schenectady is stepping up its efforts to get more dogs within the city licensed. The Schenectady City Clerk says there are currently only 1400 dogs licensed he believes there are 14,000 dogs in the city. If the city can get more dogs licensed, they can raise an additional $120,000 in revenue which would pay for the two dog control officers currently on staff.

WHAT ABOUT THE HOUSES THE CITY TOOK OVER WITH BUSTED OUT WINDOWS, CRUMBLED SIDEWALKS etc etc etc ????????

15 or so years of Metroplex development has certainly helped create some of the blight, now you pay up. Another money grab.

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15 or so years of Metroplex development has certainly helped create some of the blight, now you pay up. Another money grab.

Exactly, What are they going to cite people that live in their homes and are doing the best they can?  What will they cite for peeling paint or a crack in the sidewalk?

Channel 6 who did this story should do a follow up on the buildings and houses the city took over and the really bad shape most are in.

Quoted from rpforpres

Exactly, What are they going to cite people that live in their homes and are doing the best they can?  What will they cite for peeling paint or a crack in the sidewalk?

Channel 6 who did this story should do a follow up on the buildings and houses the city took over and the really bad shape most are in.

It's what happens when you triple-tax property owners...they can't pay for much else, like home repairs.

The elderly who can barely pay quarterly are now going to be fined for...cracked sidewalks?!?

How about this...take a stroll Downtown. Go to Proctors, Paul Mitchell, Villa Italia, Marcellas, YMCA, Transfinders, etc..etc...ask them how much THEY pay in taxes or WHO funded their sidewalks?

Ask Gillen to let the remaining million of the $100 million he wasted for nothing and tear down the empty crack houses all over the City.

Let's just hope that the city council candidates whose seats are up for election this year will be going around with the code people.  Let the people see that these council-reps-running-for-re-election this fall want to fine them on top of paying their own taxes PLUS the taxes of the millionaire political cronies of these DEM council reps PLUS all the building/remodeling/repairs/rehabs of the buildings owned by the millionaire downtown dem cronies too.

Just pass the word folks, tell your neighbors, friends, and family that when the code people come and cite them, that the homeowners should tell them "we have no money to fix up our house, our money was STOLEN to pay for brand new buildings for downtown millionaires and then our money is STOLEN every year to pay their taxes too."

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The mayor says in an effort to fight the blight he has to start holding homeowners and renters accountable.  If violations are found, homeowners and renters will first be warned.  If they don't correct the problem within a few weeks they will face fines.

I wonder if they have consulted with an attorney FIRST about this. If not i would suggest that they do!
First.....they can't hold RENTERS liable for anything regarding the building they live in.
The renters have a contract with the LANDLORD. NOT with the city of SCUMnectady! Good luck trying to contact them!

Second....most of the owners/landlords don't even live in this area.

So this is nothing more than a waste of McMayor's breath.....NOT ENFORCEABLE anytime in the near future!

And McMayor better set an example and clean up the blight/properties that the city owns....they are a mess!!!

Renters. I don't think the city understands basic law. Also, even when you rent a single-family home, that doesn't mean the crap all over the yard belongs to you. There are plenty of landlords in the city renting the house only, using the yard themselves for various endeavors involving mess.
I laugh, I heard of a landlord telling prospective tenants that they would be required to get renter's insurance. Can you imagine, thinking an insurance company will pay a tenant or pay a claim from a third party involving property that isn't theirs?
What a desperate money grab. They are just trying to throw in renters either hoping some are too stupid not to know they don't owe a fine, or to disguise the fact that they are trying to once again go to the homeowner well, but the well is dry.

Here's a question to ask.   If the city is going to cite the tenant, how does the city know the name of the person (tenant) to cite?   The city of course has the name of the property owner and can add the penalties onto the tax bill of the owner.

I don't know enough about the rental inspection process to know if the issuance of the certificate would have the name(s) of the tenant(s) on it.

Would the city have the authority to check into the name of the owner of a vehicle parked in a driveway of a property and ASSUME it's the tenant---but suppose the tenant was not a self sufficient adult and thus a mama's boy using mama's car?    Will the city come to the door putting their hands in the mailboxes of the tenants to find out their names?   Again, although more remote chances, there are people who use others' addresses.

What assets of tenants could they seize if the tenant didn't pay up?  

If the tenant is on welfare, how would the city penalize the tenant?   Put them in jail because paint is peeling?  

There are some things however that I do believe it is the responsibility of the tenant.  Mowing the lawn, raking the leaves, storing trash in covered cans in the back and taking trash to the curb, shoveling the snow, changing light bulbs---and I DON'T CARE if the light bulb is burnt out in a "common area."   Many two family homes have one door entrance in the front so they kind of have a foyer and if a tenant thinks a landlord should be coming to change such a lightbulb, if the tenant feels exempt from that small price, then they should be tossed out to live on the streets.  A package of four lightbulbs can be bought for under $2.00.   But what every landlord should do is spell out in the lease that the tenant is responsible for shoveling for example.  Perhaps in a two family house, if one tenant is given the priviledge of the driveway, then that tenant shovels the driveway and the sidewalk that crosses the driveway, the other tenant has the responsibility for shoveling any other part of the sidewalk (and fire hydrant),  People who are tenants need to grow up, they can mow lawns and rake leaves too.  Again, unless it's someone too disabled to do so, but even then, paying a kid to shovel is something they can do.   Agreements similar can be written for month to month tenants as well.   Then the landlord can has a leg to stand on if penalized for something like an unshoveled sidewalk or unmowed lawn.

Now hear this.

The city is sorely lacking in owner occupied homes, right?   The city has driven out such homeowners with their constant making homeowners pay for downtown.

So the city has a higher percentage of rental properties, tenants.  If the city does cite tenants (for things other than things tenants should be doing like mowing and shoveling), then it will drive out people who are tenants.

The city will succeed in driving out both homeowner residents AND tenant residents.   Kind of like how we succeeded in driving out the DV cheerleader for the dems off these local topics....so nice to not have to constantly read his "city is doing well" crap when he REFUSES to provide any proof and won't address the ever diminishing tax base thanks to his buddy dems.

Isn't the city looking to borrow 3 or so million to knock down derelict houses? If they can even get the money, has to be some way to pay it back. Someone has to be squeezed to get it, we do, the homeowners.

McNutt and company are going to tax all the air that the residents breath to get the money they need.

Quoted from mikechristine1

There are some things however that I do believe it is the responsibility of the tenant.  Mowing the lawn, raking the leaves, storing trash in covered cans in the back and taking trash to the curb, shoveling the snow, changing light bulbs---and I DON'T CARE if the light bulb is burnt out in a "common area."   Many two family homes have one door entrance in the front so they kind of have a foyer and if a tenant thinks a landlord should be coming to change such a lightbulb, if the tenant feels exempt from that small price, then they should be tossed out to live on the streets.  A package of four lightbulbs can be bought for under $2.00.   But what every landlord should do is spell out in the lease that the tenant is responsible for shoveling for example.  Perhaps in a two family house, if one tenant is given the priviledge of the driveway, then that tenant shovels the driveway and the sidewalk that crosses the driveway, the other tenant has the responsibility for shoveling any other part of the sidewalk (and fire hydrant),  People who are tenants need to grow up, they can mow lawns and rake leaves too.  Again, unless it's someone too disabled to do so, but even then, paying a kid to shovel is something they can do.   Agreements similar can be written for month to month tenants as well.   Then the landlord can has a leg to stand on if penalized for something like an unshoveled sidewalk or unmowed lawn.

this is all true mc1......but the point is......IT IS BETWEEN THE LANDLORD AND THE TENANT......NOT THE TENANT AND SCUMnectady!!!!

the city CAN NOT go after the tenant....even if they are scumbags......DON'T MATTER....it's a landlord/tenant issue ONLY!!!

If these homes were downtown buildings, the city would offer to pay for the upgrades.

Quoted from Shadow

McNutt and company are going to tax all the air that the residents breath to get the money they need.

  It Would Have to be Filtered for that To Fly!!  

Quoted from Shadow

McNutt and company are going to tax all the air that the residents breath to get the money they need.

That wouldn't be enough. Because he refuses to belt tighten or upset his public employees nothing can improve. The City implosion is bankrupting the entire County. Dog licenses, code enforcement Nazis the
reign of terror on property owners continues. Everything the DEMS do lowers resale values and chases businesses and home owners out of the County. Renters need to understand why the rent is too damn high. Too many DEMS in office. Had enough YET?