Baldwin cleanup group putting blighted property laws to use

The Baldwin Beautification Club has been strolling neighborhoods and taking names.
The group plans to kick up efforts to enforce town ordinances that deal with blighted properties throughout the town.
“Our goal is to try to get residents to understand the necessity in cleaning up their property, to beautify Baldwin,” said Margaret “Faye” Coleman, a town alderwoman and Beautification Club chairperson. “The effort will hopefully get people to come to Baldwin, maybe even reside in Baldwin.”
Tall grass, junk cars and abandoned houses make the list of neighborhood nuisances that the club plans on addressing. Residents who are in violation can expect to receive notices in the near future if they haven’t already. So far 25 notices have been sent out.
Beautification Club member Fran Viator has been at the forefront in identifying properties that need attention.
“We’re trying to get the grass cut, cars moved and trailers moved or torn down,” Viator said.
She said while she has faced some resistance in getting residents to comply, she has seen some positive results.
“I have seen some positive responses with grass cutting, one person has torn down their mobile home. It’s still early. Those who don’t respond will get a summons to appear in court,” Viator said.
The Beautification Club has been alerting residents who are in violation of the town’s junk and weed ordinance by sending them a certified letter which gives them 15 days to respond.
Coleman and Viator say many of the property owners are out of towners. However club members are willing to work on time constraints with anyone who seems willing to make a good faith effort.
“The biggest challenge is getting people to understand the purpose of this clean up,” Coleman said. “There’s an attitude that this is my property I do what I want with it. But now it’s not just required by the town but the state.” She’s referring to Louisiana’s statewide initiative that addresses the five most troublesome nuisances in Louisiana communities. The state lists blighted property and yards, dilapidated structures, roaming dogs, abandoned vehicles and junk and litter as problem areas that several Louisiana Revised Statutes address and will now lean on local agencies to enforce.
Those who don’t comply with clean up requests could face fines. If the town has to go in and clear a property they could charge up to $100 an hour. State law gives the local municipalities the authority to bill residents for work done on property. Upon failure to pay charges within 30 days of the bill, the city may file a copy of the charges with the recorder of mortgages that will result in a lien on said property.
In the case of litter, if local police fine a person for breaking a litter ordinance, half of the fine will go to that agency’s retirement fund. The other half will benefit the Keep Louisiana Beautiful Fund.
“The state is giving us back up — before there was a lot of red tape, but now we have back up. We’re not in this by ourselves.” Coleman said.