COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Abandoned homes and other nuisance properties are the target of a new list of blighted homes coordinated by the Franklin County Treasurer to clean up the mess and keep the properties generating tax revenue.
The list of blighted homes is consolidated lists from other county departments and townships, including the departments of health and economic development, with the hope of focusing attention on the most distressed properties and potentially using federal funding to clean up the problems, NBC 4's Patrick Preston reported.
But the list is a work in progress and the owners of the homes have yet to be told that they're on the list.
"It allows us to focus attention and focus our energies on particular properties that have been identified as problematic in the community," said Franklin County Treasurer Ed Leonard.
But what about yards with too much clutter? Are those homes the worst of the worst and should they be targeted?
The reactions to the blighted homes list near Grove City was mixed as several residents said they weren't overly concerned about neighbors' messy yards.
NBC 4 found more than a few houses where the only transgression appears to be yard clutter.
Leonard said the list comes from township trustees and will be verified to make sure properties truly belong on the list.
Leonard's concern is the listed homes are costing the county tax revenue by bringing property values down. He expects the list to expand greatly as time passes and added that for homeowners who care about their neighborhood's upkeep, the blighted properties list will keep the program in the forefront of county workers' minds.
"By being on the list, it will probably be tracked a little more closely than if it weren't on the list," Leonard said.
Leonard said he's considering whether to notify the property owners that they're on the list.
He said the owners may have already received a citation from the board of health and he stressed that he does not intend to use the list to publicly embarrass the owners.
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