Brunswick addresses misconceptions with property violations process

BRUNSWICK — The city clarified the process for property violations, including why it may take longer than residents expect, during a meeting on Monday. Ward 1 Councilman Mike Abella said the city gets hundreds, if not thousands, of calls each year, and many are related to property maintenance. "(Residents) sometimes have a false understanding that it's an immediate process," he said. "Every single situation is unique, and some of them are very complicated. Some of them involve help, and Brunswick is not a slam-the-fist-down community here. We will try to help where we can, especially if someone needs it." Brunswick Economic Development Director Grant Aungst said the city's goal is compliance with property maintenance regulations in the code. "We have two part-time employees. One (works) 28 hours a week, and one is averaging 15 to 17 hours a week," he said. "They handle all residential, commercial and industrial properties. There (are) over 12,000 housing structures in Brunswick and hundreds of commercial and industrial buildings." The two-person team follows the city's code and property maintenance code, Aungst said. "(They) investigate the issues, do all the paperwork, computer work, phone calls, involve court actions, (have) attorney and prosecutor discussions and manage the entire process from start to finish," he said. "Keep in mind they're part-time." Brunswick is reactive rather than proactive on property violations, Aungst said. "If we get a phone call or an email, we do have to investigate all those," he said. "We try to be proactive in some instances, but generally, with our resources we have available, we are reactive." Then the city determines the next steps by asking questions like how big the issue is and who owns the property, Aungst said. The city prepares and sends notices and then waits for a response, which does not always happen immediately. "The courts have been very clear that we have to give people as much opportunity to make a correction as we possibly can, and if we don't do that, we will be the ones found at fault," he said. "The onus is on the city to prove that they've done something wrong." So far, 570 violations have been issued this year, and 240 of them are for grass and weeds, Aungst said. "It's about 50 percent compliance," he said. "The other 50 percent is always in progress or ends up in court, which means a property maintenance team member is attending and testifying as well." Compliance is better than taking the issue to court, Aungst said. "When it eventually does get to a court, and it sometimes takes three to five weeks to even schedule to go to a court, and now you're talking months," he said. "If they bring an attorney in, that can be dismissed; it could stay there; it could get tossed out; or it could be moved to another facility." Contact reporter Madisyn Woodring at 330-721-4049 or mwoodring@medina-gazette.com.