Town of Saugerties enacts property maintenance law - The Daily Freeman

SAUGERTIES, N.Y. — The Town Board has adopted property maintenance regulations intended to give the town an easier route to resolving problems without being forced to wait for court decisions.

Saugerties Supervisor Fred Costello said the new law, adopted Wednesday night, allows the town code enforcement officer to levy fines for violations that can be appealed to the Town Board.

“Our experience with court has been mixed at best,” he said.

Costello cited the example of a landlord who failed to provide trash removal for tenants and could not be forced to clean up an overflowing container.

“The garbage [would] accumulate to fall outside the Dumpster to be blown by the wind into his neighbor’s yard,” the supervisor said. “They would call me on a regular basis, and we were left … issuing a ticket. … That is not a meaningful remedy that helps anyone.”

Town resident Gaetana Ciarlante objected to the new regulations during Wednesday’s meeting, saying they allow town officials to come onto private properties in violation of constitutional rights.

“Your proposed law now stands to bring criminal charges and jail is a vast overreach of authority by agencies that exist to promote safety and not hurt the communities that they serve,” Ciarlante said.

Under the new regulations, property owners would not be able to abandon, dump or store any nuisance items, hazardous materials, debris or litter. This would include items that would be “attractive to vermin,” the law states.

Property owners also would have to remove dead, damaged or diseased trees or shrubs that present an imminent hazard, and maintain their parcels in a way that prevents soil erosion and sedimentation.

The law also prohibits outdoor storage of two or more “unregistered, old or second-hand” motor vehicles that are not intended for use on public roads. The same prohibition applies to old boats not intended for water use.

Additionally, building exteriors cannot have loose, broken or unsecured objects or materials, including windows, shutters and gutters.

source: https://www.dailyfreeman.com/2021/11/18/town-of-saugerties-enacts-property-maintenance-law/

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