CINCINNATI, Ohio -- With foreclosures at a record high, authorities need a full-time housing court that would hold property owners accountable for neglected homes and would also enforce building code violations, a Hamilton County commissioner said. Fifty to 80 cases are heard each Friday in Hamilton County's one-day-a-week housing court, where some of the county's worst property owners have been told to clean up their junk-littered yards or remove paint that's tainted with lead.
But that's not good enough, considering the number of vacant properties has climbed so quickly because of the mortgage crisis, Commissioner Greg Hartmann said. "We have never needed this more than now," he said. Hartmann and Cincinnati Councilman Jeff Berding have been rallying support for a full-time housing and environmental court, which would have jurisdiction over all criminal and civil actions to enforce building, housing and health codes.
The court would also oversee foreclosure cases, which are now heard by a common pleas magistrate. The new court could be up and running as early as January with a judge that would be a kind of "housing czar" for the southwest Ohio County, Hartmann said. Centralizing foreclosure cases would allow one judge to track which owners aren't serious about cleaning up, Berding said. It would lead to increased collection of delinquent taxes, as well as higher property values in neighborhoods with empty homes.
In order for the court to be established, the Legislature has to amend Ohio's Revised Code by a two-thirds majority vote. Lawmakers have already provided for housing courts in Toledo, Cleveland and Franklin County. About 90 percent of those who appear before the court don't have the finances to remedy the situation, Hamilton County Municipal Judge Russell Mock said. "The main issue is money, whether it's the city having money to demolish a house or an owner having the money to fix the property," Mock said. "For this to work it has to be backed by cash flow."
Berding and Hartmann said fees and fines would eventually make the court self-sustaining. But any money spent administering the court would be better used to help homeowners in foreclosure, Cincinnati attorney Bob Newman said. Federal aid will make its way into communities over the next several months, and someone needs to help property owners access that money, he said. "We need more mediators, not necessarily another court," he said.
For additional information, stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com -- Where Accuracy Matters.
To submit a story idea or news tip, e-mail stories@nbc4i.com.
MORE: NBC 4 Local News | Local Crime News
NBC 4 SPORTS: Sports News, Video
NBC 4 POLITICS: Headlines, Interactives & Video
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement