Mount%20Clemens%20tackling%20blight

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Mount Clemens tackling blight

• Steve Pardo / The Detroit News
• April 4, 2005

http//www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID/
20060403/METRO03/604030337/1014
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Blight as an Externality
MOUNT CLEMENS -- Kathleen McQuitty has spent
thousands of dollars over the years to beautify
her home on Moross. But the improvements are
overshadowed by debris littering a nearby yard,
including a junked truck on blocks. "I am tired
of this. I am tired of looking at this every
single day," she said. "I demand that something
be done." McQuitty was among about 100 residents
who packed a Mount Clemens library meeting room
recently to brainstorm solutions to combat
blight. Many said they are fed up with what they
consider spotty enforcement of existing laws and
a lackadaisical attitude toward those who allow
their properties to get run down and cluttered.
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What do the laws do?

• The goal, according to City Commissioner Matt
  Dreger, is to take the feedback and tweak the
  rules and regulations to more effectively combat
  the problem.
• "When visitors drive down streets in our city, we
  must be concerned with what our community looks
  like," Dreger said. "Cities become desensitized.
  And we are all in this together, whether we like
  it or not."
• The city has a long way to go. Dreger marked on a
  city map all the homes and businesses cited by
  the building department as blighted. About 200
  red dots pocked the city map with few discernable
  patterns.

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Current Ordinance

• The current ordinance -- written in 1981 and
  amended in 2001 -- calls for a city official to
  give notice to the home or business owner, who
  then has 10 days to correct the problem.
• If the owner doesn't comply, the city can clean
  up the area and bill the owner. And failure to
  comply can result in a misdemeanor punishable by
  up to a 500 fine and 90 days in jail.
• But it takes time and effort to take people to
  court. Many citations stretch on for months or
  even years before penalties are imposed.
• A January report, for example, showed 231 blight
  cases on the books. Twenty-seven were resolved
  that month, leaving 204 unresolved.

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Resources

• Mount Clemens has one of the lowest median income
  levels in the county and one of the highest
  poverty rates.
• With a 2000 median income level of 37,856 and a
  poverty rate of 13 percent, the city is ahead of
  only Center Line, which has a 31,667 median
  income level and a 15 percent poverty rate,
  according to the Southeast Michigan Council of
  Governments.
• In 2000, the county's median income level was
  52,102.
• "We're trying to find the weak link in the system
  so we can get some of this stuff resolved,"
  Dreger said.
• "If somebody doesn't have the resources, you can
  fine them until the cows come home and you're not
  going to get any money."

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Questions

• What kind of property is affected?
• Who owns it Mt. Clemens residents or someone
  else?
• How do you enforce laws?

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The Economics
Supply- Totally Inelastic
Price
Why?

• Inelastic Supply.
• Demand decreases because property is less
  desirable
• (P0 P1) reflects impact of blight.
• Has been done with hedonic models

Demand
P0
P1
D w/ Blight
Quantity