As year seven of the Great Recovery goes into full swing, the Town of Canton feels the need to do something about its boarded-up buildings downtown. Representatives insist nobody wants strict historical standards; the town is only looking out for public safety, attempting to scare people away from doing things they would if they knew the buildings were empty. One hot idea is to make people too poor to stay in business fork some otherwise obviously short-supply dough over to the town:
The proposed ordinance also has a registration requirement for vacant properties. Commercial property owners must register their vacant buildings of their own accord or within 30 days of receiving a notice from the town. Registration costs $50 and must be renewed annually. Once the property is no longer vacant, the owner must provide written proof of occupancy or sale to the town.
The proposed ordinance states that violators would be issued a $50 citation and shall submit a plan of action to the town code enforcement officer and town manager within 10 business days. Failure to implement the plan can result in a $500 civil penalty.
