The Ridgefield Board of Selectmen unanimously approved an anti-blight ordinance Wednesday.
The vote moves the ordinance to a public meeting on Jan. 8, then, eventually to a Town Meeting.
The ordinance will create a five-person blight prevention board made up of the Fire Marshall, Health Director, Town Building Official, Town Zoning Enforcement Officer and the First Selectman.
When someone in town complains of a blight-ridden building – one that’s been abandoned, is a fire hazard, is structurally unsound, is infested with rodents or has an excessive amount of garbage and/or abandoned motor vehicles surrounding it – the board will investigate. notify the owner and hold a hearing.
If it finds a building is in violation of the ordinance, the board can order the owner to remedy the situation and impose fines and penalties.
If the owner refuses to improve the property, the town can issue a citation, make the necessary repairs or improvements and place a lien on town land records to cover the cost of the work.
Each step of the proceedings allow the owners hearings to publicly discuss the problems.