From the Gaithersburg City Manager: Property Maintenance - Be Our Eyes in Your Community 11/08/11
There are a lot of things that impact quality of life - the education of our children, ease of transportation, job opportunities, and access to cultural amenities. While it might not be at the top of everyone’s list, neighborhood integrity certainly impacts our sense of community as well.
There are reasons why there are rules and regulations when it comes to maintaining your property. A well-maintained home speaks to caring individuals committed to preserving the integrity of a community. It helps Gaithersburg remain a desirable place to live, and ensures our collective safety and harmony.
However, in this economy we are seeing an increase in the number of neglected, foreclosed and abandoned properties throughout the City. To help maintain our community, the City’s Neighborhood Services staff routinely tours neighborhoods throughout Gaithersburg.
Our inspectors look at a number of things that may be in violation of City code, which include but are not limited to rotted wood, damaged siding, missing house numbers, chipping and peeling paint, fences, sheds and decks in a state of disrepair, tall grass and weeds, accumulation of garbage, and unregistered vehicles.
In the event our inspectors note a violation, a notice is sent to the registered owner with a compliance date for correction. Reasonable requests for extensions are considered. If needed, municipal infraction citations are issued for non-compliance.
But as you can imagine, citations are not very useful when the property is essentially abandoned.
Given this situation, I have asked our staff to be more proactive rather than reactive, concentrating their efforts on those properties that are repeat offenders, especially where we are receiving multiple complaints. We are exploring the possibility of stiffer penalties on repeat offenders, which we will discuss during our FY2013 budget process. There will be ample opportunity for public input before final decisions are made.
We encourage all residents to remain vigilant, not only by maintaining your own property, but by being our eyes and ears in your neighborhood, reporting any challenges you might see. Between your eyes and our initiatives, we can ensure that our neighborhoods maintain the quality we have come to expect in Gaithersburg.
To report vacant properties, please send an e-mail to vacantproperty@gaithersburgmd.gov. Contact Neighborhood Services at 301-258-6340 to inquire about the inspection program. And, as always, your comments are welcome at City Hall. email cityhall@gaithersburgmd.gov and we'll help address the situation.
Posted on ActiveRain as a community service. Character counts in Gaithersburg.
Brookside Gardens, Dahlia Show, National Capital Dahlia Society, September 25, 2010, Wheaton Regional Park, Wheaton, Maryland. Montgomery County.
Roy and Dolores Kelley Photographs
Comments(14)