Businesses coming in, going out

Council OKs vacant home registry

DEARBORN - Past or present owners of homes that have been abandoned or sold now can be alerted of any activity that takes place at the home, such as busted pipes and breaking and entering, by registering with the city of Dearborn Building & Safety Department.

The Dearborn City Council Monday night unanimously approved a resolution establishing a program that gives commercial and residential property owners 90 and 180 days, respectively, to register that property with the city.

A $25 registration fee put property owners in a network with Dearborn police and building & safety personnel who will alert the owner in the event something occurs at the site, according to City Council President Tom Tafelski. A fine will be assessed to those property owners who fail to register their property with the city in that 90- or 180-day window, Tafelski said.

"You see instances where a piece of property is abandoned and a new owner takes over," Tafelski said, "and people break in and take copper or a furnace or an (air conditioner).

"We want to be able to notify the owners of those issues."

Building & Safety Director Dave Norwood said the initiative would take affect June 1.

Tafelski said property owners can register with building & safety inside City Hall and that those property owners who fail to register with the city will face a progressive fine.

"This problem isn't unique to (Dearborn)," Tafelski said. "We just want (the owners) to be identified, that's why the fine would be progressive."