TO: Honorable Mayor & Members of the North Port Commission
FROM: A. Jerome Fletcher II, ICMA-CM, MPA, City Manager
TITLE: Discussion and Possible Direction Regarding Potential Development and Implementation of an Unimproved Lot Registration Program.
Recommended Action
City staff requests direction as to whether the City Commission desires to proceed with development of an Unimproved Lot Registration Program, including whether to assess fees through the non-ad valorem process.
Background Information
In May 2024, the City Manager’s Office provided a memorandum (Attachment 1) to the City Commission regarding problems associated with impinging growth and dangerous trees on unimproved lots. The memorandum also discussed the potential to develop a Registration Program for unimproved lots with an annual fee that would provide funding to abate these issues. This memorandum was briefly discussed by the City Commission during the Fiscal Year 2025 budget meetings and the Commission directed staff to bring back more details regarding this potential program.
The City previously had an Impinging Growth Program, whereby the City required owners of unimproved property to keep overgrown vegetation from impinging upon neighboring developed lots. During 2017 - 2020, the City processed almost 2,700 complaints for impinging growth, with approximately $570,000 in expenditures for abatement costs and over 300 liens against vacant lots. There was no special fund for enforcement or abatement costs, resulting in a direct impact to the General Fund. The unrecovered costs to the City were so excessive that the City Commission was forced to discontinue the program in 2020.
Although impinging growth is no longer abated by the City, the City continues to receive an average of 35 requests per week from homeowners requesting the City take enforcement action for vegetative growth intruding from neighboring undeveloped lots. Additionally, the City receives about 15 requests each week for removal of dangerous trees on adjacent undeveloped properties, which the City does remove when and/or if funding allows. However, this funding is typically depleted within the first half of each budget year, and additional funding would increase the negative impact to the General Fund. With approximately 40,000 undeveloped and unmaintained lots in the City, representing approximately 40 percent of all parcels in North Port, impinging growth and dangerous trees on these properties create an outsized burden on developed property owners in terms of maintenance and property damage. Additionally, the cost for the City to abate dangerous trees through Code Enforcement directly impacts the General Fund, affecting all taxpayers Citywide.
City staff will provide a presentation to the City Commission to include the following:
Ø Issues surrounding both impinging growth and dangerous trees.
Ø Current funding and cost recovery challenges.
Ø Benefits of a Registration Program for Unimproved Lots.
Ø Options for exemption of certain property (conservation, joined lots).
Ø Funding mechanisms, and program processes.
Should the City Commission desire to proceed with the program, staff will develop the necessary Ordinance(s) and return to the City Commission for further action.
Strategic Plan
Safe Community
Good Governance
Financial Impact
Discussion and direction associated with this item will have no financial impact. Should the City Commission provide direction to staff to develop a program, revenues and expenditures will be projected based on Commission direction. However, the expectation is that all costs associated with the program would be funded through registration fees and the current cost to the General Fund for Code Enforcement efforts would be reduced. Registration fees may also be directed toward infrastructure improvements that would have a direct positive impact on these undeveloped properties.
Procurement
Not applicable.
Attachments:
1. Unimproved Lot Registration Program Memorandum
2. Unimproved Lot Registration Program Presentation
Prepared by: Alaina Ray, AICP, Development Services Director
Department Director: Alaina Ray, AICP, Development Services Director