Little-used graffiti rebate available for St. Catharines properties
Only $1,000 has been doled out from a $15,000 pot this year to private property owners
A City of St. Catharines program that pays private property owners half the cost of cleaning up graffiti has barely been touched this year despite a rash of tagging incidents.
The city’s graffiti removal assistance program rebates eligible residential and commercial property owners up to a maximum of $500.
Any owner hit by vandalism can apply and may be rebated as many as three times a year for the same property.
But so far this year, applications have been scarce and only six refunds have been issued. The annual budget of $15,000 still has $14,000 in it.
“There’s a lot of money in there if anyone would like to apply,” said city project and development planner Jessica Button, who oversees the program.
One of the requirements for the rebate is that a property owner use a licensed contractor to remove the graffiti, which could be one of the reasons the uptake isn’t greater. Button said some homeowners find it’s less costly to do the work themselves if it involves painting over graffiti or replacing wood boards.
For people who want to take advantage of the program, the city has a list of pre-approved licensed contractors but will work with others.
She said property owners with graffiti are asked to call the city and file a police report. The city will send someone to inspect the graffiti and the owner can then go ahead and have a company remove it and show proof of payment and work to get the refund.
“I’m sure there are lots of people who think they might not get it or it’s not worth it to apply, but as long as somebody meets all the requirements of the program, we will issue the refund,” Button said.
Anyone interested in a graffiti removal assistance program can apply at stcatharines.ca and search Graffiti By-Law Compliance or call 905-688-5601 ext. 3145.
Meanwhile, the St. Catharines Downtown
Association has spent most of its $10,000 budget for graffiti cleanup after a rash of incidents this year, including numerous tags in recent weeks.
The budget comes from the levy paid by property owners in the business improvement area.
“As you can see there’s so much more graffiti that needs to be cleaned,” said executive director Tisha Polocko, predicting the fund will be completely used up this year to remove graffiti currently on buildings.