GIRARD - Girard City Council passed an amendment to increase registration fees on vacant properties at a meeting on Monday night in an effort to reduce the number of unused buildings.

Mayor Mark Zuppo must sign the amendment before it becomes law.

While all buildings must register with the city's zoning department each year, the new ordinance doubles the registration fee of a building each year that it is found to be vacant.

The flat registration fee for all residential buildings is $250.

The owner of the vacant building now pays $500 the second year, $1,000 the third year, $2,000 the fourth year, and caps at $4000 per year it remains vacant.

The flat registration fee for all commercial buildings is $400.

A vacant commercial building would pay $800 the second year, $1,600 the third year, $3,200 the fourth year, and caps off at $6,400 each year it remains vacant.

If an owner of a vacant building wants to sell their property, they would need to pay any outstanding registration fees in order to do so.

Per the amendment, any vacant building owner who refurbishes the property to city standards and occupies it will have the previous year's registration fee refunded.

2nd Ward Councilman James Clark, who introduced the legislation, says vacant buildings are a safety hazard to the community and are generally unsightly.

"It attracts crime, it's not safe, people in those buildings and move into them, and they're not safe to live in, and it's just overall not good for the city," he said.

The city identifies vacant buildings through utility bills, high grass notices, or if the property looks generally unkept. 

"One easy way to find out is just by asking the neighbors," he said.

Clark says he modeled the amendment after a similar ordinance in St. Mary's, a city in northwest Ohio.

"We're not at the point that some other cities are in, maybe like an East Cleveland, OH, or an inner city Youngstown, so this is a proactive approach, and we're trying to get ahead of it before it does," he said.

Councilman-at-Large Tod Latell said at the meeting that there are 26 in downtown Girard that are considered vacant, but only four that are for sale or lease.

"There's a want to bring business to the city and get the city moving in the right direction," he said.

Mayor Mark Zuppo tells 21 News that he has looked into reducing vacant buildings in the community by requiring landlords to register each new tenant they sign.