Pre-Hearing

1. The Community Development Department identifies properties for review by the Blighted Property Review Committee (BPRC).

2. No less than 30 days prior to a hearing, the Community Development Department shall mail, via first class, a letter to a person or entity who owns a property that meets at least one of the criteria for blight.

3. No less than 30 days prior to a hearing, the Community Development Department shall email the property addresses for the hearing to the BPRC Secretary.

4. The Community Development Department shall prepare property packets for each property to be reviewed at the hearing. The property packets shall include the following:
   1. A copy of the letter notifying the property owner of the hearing.
   2. A photo of the notice posted to the property.
   3. Notices showing the criteria that apply to the subject property. (Determination Checklist)
   4. Affidavits showing the status of tax, water/sewer, trash, recycling, compliance with property maintenance regulations and the structural integrity of the building with supporting photographs and citations, where applicable.

The property packets will be delivered to the Board Secretary no less than 10 days before the scheduled hearing.

5. The Board Secretary will prepare a property summary sheet and make electronic copies of each packet and have those packets published on the BPRC webpage.

6. The Board Secretary shall email a copy of the hearing agenda to the BPRC Board and have it posted on the City’s website.

7. The Board Secretary, the Board solicitor, and the Community Development designee shall meet to review the property packets before the hearing.

Hearing

8. The hearings will be called to order by the Board Chair and conducted by the Board solicitor.

9. Properties with representation present will be prioritized on the agenda. Properties without representation will be processed in a consent agenda format.

10. The Board Secretary shall issue the oath to those testifying and shall take minutes.

11. The Community Development designee shall assist at all hearings by displaying property photographs and answering questions.

Post Hearing

12. The hearing orders and/or notices shall be produced by the Community Development designee no later than 2 days after the hearing and will be delivered to the Board Secretary. Executed copies of the orders and/or notices shall be given to the Community Development designee no later than 2 days following their delivery.

13. The Board Secretary shall file a condemnation order with the recorder of deeds through the City’s Law Department for properties certified as blighted.

14. The Community Development designee shall forward the list of certified properties to the Redevelopment Authority.

15. The Community Development designee shall update the list of certified properties and provide that list to the IT Division no later than two weeks following the hearing. The IT Division shall post the list to the City’s website.

Decertification

16. On a quarterly basis, the Community Development designee shall conduct site inspections to determine if the certified properties have been remediated. For properties that no longer meet a minimum of one of the blighted criteria, the Community Development designee shall forward the address of the property with a decertification recommendation to the Board Secretary and Board Solicitor. The Board Secretary will place the decertification recommendation on the next hearing agenda.

17. Within 15 days of decertification approval by the BPRC Board, the Board Secretary shall record with the office of recorder of deeds through the City’s Law Department a statement indicating that the condemnation order has been vacated (if a condemnation order was filed with the recorder of deeds).