CALAIS, Maine — The City Council has approved changes to an ordinance requiring property owners to maintain and repair dilapidated buildings.
Councilors voted 5-1 to approve the revised revitalization ordinance after holding a public hearing that generated a few brief comments Thursday night. Councilor Alan Dwelley was the lone vote against the measure, which takes effect in 30 days.
“It’s time to get it done,” said Herm Gadway, a member of the city’s planning board, which modified the ordinance at the request of the Council, a process that has gone on more than a year.
Joan Perry, chairman of the Calais Downtown Revitalization Coalition, which was involved in the process, also spoke in favor of the new ordinance.
The revisions are needed to address run-down buildings in the downtown section, several councilors suggested.
“What business is going to move next door [to a dilapidated building],” asked Councilor Marcia Rogers.
“We need this ordinance to help our downtown,” said Councilor Anne Nixon.
“It’s not our intention to close any business down,” said Mayor Marianne Moore.
Councilor Billy Howard also endorsed the proposal, saying it puts more control in the hands of the city’s code enforcement officer, assistant city manager Jim Porter, who briefed the council on the measure at the outset of the hearing.
While voting in favor, Councilor Tom Parks wondered how property owners who can’t afford to make repairs would be able to pay any penalties for noncompliance.
In voting against the measure, Dwelley said that some owners indeed could not afford to make needed repairs. If those owners cannot comply with the new regulations, the city eventually could be put in a situation in which it takes ownership of a dilapidated structure.
Dwelley said his fear was that the city “will be in the used building business.”
The city’s original revitalization ordinance was adopted in 1996, and people on both sides of the issue agree it has been ineffective.
The new ordinance increases penalties for noncompliance from $10-$100 per day to $50-$500. It also increases the dollar amount threshold for improvement projects that require approval by either the code enforcement officer or the planning board. The new ordinance contains a provision allowing the planning board to extend time allowed for repairs “for good cause.”