Old Town council wary of imposing fees for vacant buildings

Old Town council wary of imposing fees for vacant buildings

Old Town city councilors on Monday criticized a proposal to charge a fee to owners of the roughly 200 vacant and abandoned properties in the city, an approach that has been tried in neighboring communities with apparent success. Economic Development Director E.J. Roach brought the idea to the City Council as a way to identify underutilized properties in the city and bring in new residents and businesses. The new fees could change the number of a…