ATLANTA — The City of Atlanta is introducing a new way to crack down on absentee property owners, according to officials.
Mayor Dickens and the Atlanta City Council call it the blight tax, allowing municipal courts to increase specific properties' tax bills by up to 25 times the current city tax rate.
“This new policy will equip the city with a powerful tool for cracking down on corporate, absentee owners who treat property as a cheap investment vehicle rather than part of the fabric of our communities," said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.
Officials are explicitly targeting owners of "neglected properties that contribute to blighted conditions and disinvestment in Atlanta neighborhoods."
Wayne Pittman, a homeowner in the Washington Park neighborhood, said blighted properties have contributed to crime in the area for years.
“There about 20, probably 30 abandoned homes, and you can just drive or walk, and you can see the chaos that goes on," Pittman said.
Pittman's family has owned a home in the area for over a century and says it's come a long way, but believes this ordinance could really impact his community.
“People got vacant properties that need to be cleaned in this area…and that would cut down a lot of crime," added Pittman.
The measure was only introduced and would still need to be voted on and approved before it could take effect.
According to a news release, the proposed ordinance would allow the city to use a program Georgia voters approved in recent years to push property owners to remediate the situation.
"The Blight Tax will give us much greater leverage in persuading these owners to clean up their property or sell them to a better steward who will," District 3 Councilmember Byron Amos said.
City officials added that once the blighted property is remediated and returned for productive use, it could be eligible for a discounted tax rate.
In its news release, the city stated that large-scale property owners impacting their surrounding neighborhoods must agree to a detailed development to address neighborhood concerns and objectives.
According to the mayor's office, blight taxes have been successful in communities around the state and the country.
In addition, the taxes were described as "a surgical, judicial enforcement tool for chronically vacant and neglected properties that might otherwise sit vacant for decades, hampering communities in the process."
The blight tax is part of Mayor Dickens' housing initiative to help with affordable housing and hold property owners accountable.