COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The City of Columbus tore down a vacant home on Dakota Avenue Wednesday morning to cheers of local residents, however it is just one small piece of a much larger puzzle.
So far in 2009, the city has torn down 13 abandoned homes, but Mayor Michael Coleman says there are 5,300 of them in the city.
"There's 17 percent of the houses in Franklinton that are vacant. You gotta remember when Franklinton was built out it had 30,000 residents. We currently have about 14,000 residents. There's just more houses than we can use out there," said Jim Sweeny, of the Franklinton Development Association.
Not all of the homes need torn down, as some can be refurbished, but the city budget continues to shrink for abandoned home demolition, being cut by about 50 percent each year.
It costs approximately $12,000 to claim a home and demolish it.
By the end of the year, the city will have torn down 19 homes -- that's all the money they have.
"Over 2007, we had a couple hundred thousand dollars. Last year, we had over $100,000. This year, we have about $50,000 to $55,000 is all for demolition," Coleman said.
Currently, the city is averaging about one home every three weeks.
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