Property Upkeep Plan Expected to Pass

After more than a year of debate, the City Council is set to adopt Monday a proposed property maintenance ordinance that would target residents and businesses that fail to maintain their properties.

At a hearing last month, the plan was hailed by council members as a measure that will help guard the city’s aesthetic quality against property neglect and add teeth to a body of civic codes that lack much bite.

As written, the ordinance would target properties that have fallen into such a state of disrepair that they have become a burdensome detriment to the entire community.

Grass that hasn’t been mowed would not be enough to attract the attention of code enforcement officers.

Rather, the proposal would focus on properties with severe structural damage and those grossly littered with refuse.

Although the proposal has won support from the Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce, the city’s neighborhood councils and several Realtors associations, it has been criticized for vague wording and for opening the door to possible abuse.

City officials, however, said that because of a multitiered system of appeal, such fears are unfounded.

The City Council meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall, 2929 Tapo Canyon Road.