In a guest post for Griswold Law Firm, a leading California receivership services company, MuniReg President Michael Halpern discusses opportunities to enhance the available resources for code enforcement and their safety. Halpern, one of the nation’sREAD MORE
To Change or Not to Change………That is the Question
There is an old saying that “if you love someone, set them free; if they come back to you, it was meant to be.” As Better Help explains, this phrase “deals with a struggle that hasREAD MORE
Comcate Webinar “How to Combat Vacant Property Blight with VPROs”
MuniReg President Michael Halpern was privileged to conduct a webinar titled “How to Combat Vacant Property Blight with VPROs”. In this webinar, Halpern provided an overview of the evolution of “Vacant Property Registration” ordinances, howREAD MORE
City of Springfield Illinois Receives Analysis to Address Blight
City of Springfield Illinois recently utilized Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative Fellow Megan Willis-Jackson to provide an analysis of the city provide recommendations to address vacant and dilapidated housing, including recommended changes to; • InspectionREAD MORE
Still on the Hamster Wheel…
Back in 2019, we blogged about the issue of antiquated policies that centered around required notifications being sent to known abandoned properties or even to a deceased individual. Independent of the waste of time andREAD MORE
SACA “Using Vacant Property Registration Ordinances”
The Standards and Codes Academy hosted an webinar with MuniReg President Michael Halpern presenting on the topic of vacant property registries. In addition to the overall discussion of what is a “VPRO” and what itREAD MORE
Connecticut H.B. No. 6593 – Short Sighted Legislation
A legal challenge in Washington State a few years ago caused banks to halt maintenance activity to the consternation of local governments. Eventually it was addressed by collaborative legislation. Now Connecticut has introduced legislation seekingREAD MORE
Uniformity – Benefits and Pitfalls
Uniformity – Benefits and Pitfalls In the precarious and troublesome arena of blighted and abandoned properties, uniformity, best practices, and opportunity for improvement all compete for the attention of code officials, lawmakers and constituents. EachREAD MORE
Doing the Right Thing…….Part Deux
Though, yes I am feeling a little nostalgic for 80’s/90’s movies, this discussion isn’t about Spike Lee , Charlie Sheen or the late, great, Lloyd Bridges. Early 2019, we wrote about specific ordinance language thatREAD MORE
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished?
Update January 3rd 2021 CBS Chicago reports, “Volunteers In Harvey Halfway Toward Goal Of Boarding Up 400 Vacant Homes” Please click here to view the article. Update October 17th CBS Chicago reports, “Volunteers Resume BoardingREAD MORE
Weakening the Power of Code Enforcement
In a recent article (click here), a local TV station in Cincinnati discusses a Councilmember’s new initiative to have unpaid code enforcement fines no longer be applied to the property’s taxes. While the Councilmember’s intentionsREAD MORE
Foreclosure Moratoriums and Unintended Consequences
Whether it’s an individual property owner, company, or bank, or municipality, the issue raised by WCJB is an absolute concern. Here we have a case of a conscientious homeowner, (who has other options including forREAD MORE