Foreclosure might be town’s new weapon in blight cases

WILTON — Town regulations against blighted properties could be getting tougher.

The Board of Selectmen is considering a new policy that would allow the town to pursue foreclosure actions against property owners who fail to address blight concerns in a timely manner.

First Selectwoman Lynne Vanderslice said the proposal would give the town another form of recourse when property owners fail to remedy issues.

According to existing blight ordinance, residents have 60 days to correct the problem after being served notice by a blight prevention officer. If property owners do not fix the problems within that time, the town may issue the homeowners a fine.

A property is considered blighted if it poses a “serious threat” to the health and safety of residents. Fines can be anywhere between $10 and $100 for each day a violation continues, according to state law.

If fines go unpaid, the ordinance — which was revamped in 2017 — allows the town to take blight cases to court. Based on the court’s decision, the offending

A property is considered blighted if it poses a “serious threat” to the health and safety of residents.

property could have a judgment lien placed against the property.

“There’s no action beyond that with the ordinance,” Vanderslice said. “We need to make a decision, at what do we have a discussion about foreclosure?”

Under the suggested policy, which is still only being discussed, the town would be able to proceed with foreclosure as soon as a year after a judgment lien has been issued.

“I think a year is reasonable,” said Selectman Joshua Cole. “It’s a sufficient amount of time to get a gauge on whether the people are receptive to working out a resolution with the town.”

The proposal is based on recommendations from the town counsel and the blight enforcement team, which consists of Health Director Barry Bogle, Chief Building Official Robert Root, Zoning Enforcement Officer Timothy Bunting and Social Services Director Sarah Heath.

The policy, Cole said, would offer the town another tool to grab blighted property owners’ attentions.

“Just because you start a foreclosure action doesn’t mean you have to carry it through immediately, either.”

The goal of the policy, Vanderslice pointed out, isn’t to wrest control of people’s property from them, but to resolve the blight issues.

“I don’t think any of us want to own a property because of blight, we want the owners to cure it,” she said.

The town can offer owners help fixing their blighted properties through the Social Services Department, or through local nonprofits that have offered volunteer help.

The foreclosure alternative, Vanderslice said, would be used as a last resort in extreme cases.

“We’re really talking about people that have refused all offers and made no attempt on their own. That’s how we get to the point where we’re even discussing this,” Vanderslice said.

The board is expected to vote on the new policy Dec. 17.