Warner Robins passes blight tax ordinance

WARNER ROBINS — Do you own a blighted property in Warner Robins? You could face higher taxes after a new ordinance was approved Monday night. The ordinance, establishing a blight tax, would levy higher taxes on unoccupied and unkept properties. 

According to Mayor LaRhonda Patrick, the city has heard numerous complaints about blighted properties.

“The blight tax is our answer to the issue we’re having in our community with blighted, unoccupied properties. We hear many complaints from our constituents over and over again about how properties that are unmaintained and unkept make property values go down. So, the city council and I have decided to pass a blight tax for the first time in the city of Warner Robins that will penalize individuals who own these unmaintained properties inside of our community,” she said.

Patrick said the penalty for owning a blighted property is 10 mills higher than the set millage rate.

If the city keeps its current millage rate of 9.98 mills, a property valued at $100,000 would owe the city $399 in property taxes. A blighted property with the same value would owe the city $799, with a 19.98 millage rate.

At a Georgia Municipal Association panel, Patrick and Councilman Clifford Holmes learned of this method to help alleviate blight. She is optimistic that the new tax will motivate the community to clean up their properties, leading to a more attractive and prosperous city.

“Some communities were talking about blight on the panel and how they dealt with blight. This really did stick with us to hear about a blight tax, which I didn’t even know existed in our state. To our pleasant surprise, it did,” she said.

Patrick said properties considered blighted will be warned ahead of time. The property owner on record in the tax digest will be notified and responsible for the bill.

“[If] you have a house that’s been sitting vacant for a number of years, or a commercial property that’s been sitting vacant for a number of years, and more than likely, you’ve heard from code enforcement at least one time, that is how you will know,” she said. “And if none of those apply to you yet, you very well may be contacted by code enforcement, and that’s how you will know you have a blighted property.”

Patrick’s advice is simple if you have a blighted property in the city.

“Clean it up,” she said.

According to the ordinance, blighted property must have at least two of the following conditions:

• Is unhabitable, unsafe or abandoned.
• Has inadequate ventilation, light, air or sanitation.
• Presents an imminent harm to life or other property caused by a natural disaster, and the owner has not taken reasonable measures to remedy the harm.
• Identified by the EPA as a superfund site (polluted with hazardous materials,) or is contaminated to the extent of needing a remedial investigation or feasability study.
• Repeated illegal activity to the owner’s knowledge or suspicion.
• Maintenance is below state, county or municipal code for at least one year after written notice of the violation.

The ordinance document said blighted property is also conducive to poor health, disease transmission, infant mortality or crime in the immediate vicinity and is not determined solely by aesthetics.