27 Meetings about Blight

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by Charlie London

This was the 27th meeting since the city began inviting the public to attend the BlightStat meetings.

NOTES FROM THE NOVEMBER 17, 2011 BLIGHTSTAT MEETING ARE BELOW:

Mr. Oliver Wise began the meeting with introductions and announcements. Deputy Mayor Kopplin was unable to attend due to a meeting with the State Bond Commission in Baton Rouge. He was there to ask for and received permission to refinance the City’s debt by selling new bonds.

Mr. Hebert began the meeting with an overview of the Blight Strategy begun in August, 2010.

Process Improvements
– consolidated code enforcement – 5 offices to one

Created a data management system to improve outcomes and support strategy development for programs.

Established BlightStat to manage performance of blight strategy.

Prioritized Sheriff’s Sales as the primary tool for disposition of blighted properties.

Developed new programs targeting blighted properties and lots.

Increased collaboration with NORA to focus interventions strategically.

Sheriff sales are making a difference.

43,755 blight properties. 25,662 inspections
15,413 inquiries 5,326 hearings 1,743 lots cleared 687 properties brought in to compliance due to inspections. 3,214 blighted units eradicated in the first year.

Interdepartment collaboration. Revenue collection up 90%. $791,406 fines collected in 2009. $1,346,631 fines collected in 2011.

0 Sheriff sales in 2009 | 68 in 2010 | 1,002 in 2011

Revenue collected from lien foreclosures $648,610 in liens – zero before

154 properties demolished in 2009. 523 properties demolished in 2010. 1,349 properties demolished in 2011.

Clearing nuisance lots – zero in 2009 for lots cut
5 years no lots cut – huge backlog. Lots were cited previously but there was no program to cut lots.

873 cut in 2010 – New program started April, 2010.
During 2011, 359 lots were cut as part of the lot cutting program in the 9th Ward with an additional 917 lots cut throughout the city.

Executable Judgments
1200 executable.

22,000 housing code inspections.
Entire city covered.

Fight the Blight Initiative – 5th one coming up in Dec.

Partnerships – collaborating with neighborhoods and city agencies for greater impact.

Large scale apartment demolitions.

10341 Plainfield – great before and after photo.
Higgins Gate getting cleaned up in Algiers now.
Successful property auctions in Lakeview.

Eradication of 10,000 blighted properties is the goal. 3,214 done with 6,786 to go to meet goal. Even with the ambitious goal of eradicating 10,000 blighted properties within three years, there will be at least 30,000 more properties needing attention. It is a herculean task.

INSPECTIONS
Ms. Basco continued the meeting and noted that inspections continue with 668 done this bi-weekly period. Inspections backlog is increasing slightly due to a focus on hearings.

Mr. Wise commented that Code Enforcement has made remarkable progress since February.

Inspections process is smoother now that inspectors have been assigned districts. There are also people to replace them when someone is out which keeps the process moving.

Mr. Kray inquired about data on inspections by district and inspector. Ms. Basco indicated that would be a great thing to have.

Ms. Illarmo continued the meeting with a discussion of the hearings backlog which has been reduced by 421 cases this bi-weekly period. Ms. Illarmo and “Tammy” continue to work hard to keep cases moving. Ms. Illarmo has put in lots of nights and weekends.

Mr. Wise asked about the time period between inspections and when hearings are scheduled. That time can vary due to several variables. The goal is 30 days.

337 hearings done this bi-weekly period with 413 scheduled for the next two weeks. Highest ever!

20% compliance, 36% guilty judgments, resets down due to increased focus. There were 67% of cases reset in Nov 2010. That has been reduced to 13% this period. BlightStat meetings and community input drove this success.

Mr. Square indicated IBM pushed to have the BlightStat meetings reach a wider audience. He suggested information by neighborhoods be available to make the information more meaningful to individuals.

Ms. Basco indicated that is the goal to have information that is meaningful to individuals.
Mr. Bayas stressed the importance of having meaningful information for neighborhoods.

Quality of Life “STAT” meeting was brought up.
The program is still in development and is not currently open to the public.

Mr. Carrere continued the meeting. He indicated that there were 6 emergency demolitions over the last two weeks. They are working on demolition of a large complex near the high rise bridge on I-10 in New Orleans East. 111 properties in the pipeline but the contractor is current on the properties given to them.

Mr. Lessinger indicated that is why contractors and others are invited to BlightStat meetings to make sure everyone is aware of the importance of blight removal.

Eleven FEMA demolitions were done over the past two weeks. 101 properties salvaged to date.

INAP – Keith Ferrouillet said 20 lots were cut and 4 complied after warning.

Mr. Lessinger said there is a pilot program in the 9th Ward for cutting lots due to the large number of properties needing attention in that area. Mr. Hebert indicated that http://data.nola.gov has a map of lots being cut. Neighbors, ex-offenders, and re-entry folks are cutting the lots.

Mr. Hebert indicated his frustration with dumping. After lots are cleared of tall grass and debris, more dumping occurs.

Only 5 FEMA trailers still remain. They should be gone soon.

Ms. C.S. Lear indicated that the Sanitation Department has been working more in the 9th Ward.
Dumping continues to be a major problem. Inspecting tire shops for proper documentation continues to be the focus.

Tire dumping is a nation-wide problem. The Sanitation Department is getting info from many state and federal sources that indicated tires are a problem everywhere. A unique stamp for each tire shop is a possible solution.

Mr. Gray discussed the legal issues concerning properties going up at the Sheriff sales. He discussed the results and problems associated with Sheriff sales.

Sheriff Sales will take place December 6th and 15th then again January 10th, 19th and 26th and February 2nd, 2012.

Mr. Lessinger is going to receive a list of properties from Mr. Kray on all the properties that did not sell with a copy to Mr. Hebert.

Ms. Breaux indicated some of the owners are waiting for grant money from the state. The law department has met with several owners to stress the importance of repairing properties.

Mr. Bayas indicated that the PRC had a great training program for the Sheriff sales. The City is looking into a similar program.

Ms. Wilkerson indicated that many people bid on properties based on the community they are in. She suggested selling properties strategically by area.

Mr. Gray indicated over a million dollars has been collected so far this year due to the lien foreclosure process. Code Lien Foreclosures are listed at http://data.nola.gov

Ms. Wilkerson indicated 13 NORA/LLT closings happened. Rehab financing is sparce with no program to help people to rehabilitate homes.

There will be an auction in January for LLT/NORA properties. Hundreds of properties will be available.

Mr. Square said the City won a grant from Code for America. The City does not have a good way to retrieve batch information from individuals and neighborhoods. The grant will bring in smart folks (programmers) who can help resolve this problem.

The Code for America program will focus on solving tech problems for the City. Work should commence in January, 2012. More about Code for America at
http://codeforamerica.org/

Mr. Hebert indicated that city funds are limited so grants are a focus. The City of New Orleans beat out 20 other cities for the Code for America grant.

Mr. Square indicated IBM’s Smarter Cities report will be coming out soon with a set of recommendations that the City will have to figure out how to fund.

The Green Project has a contract to remove architectural details and other salvageable items from properties before they are demolished.

An “alternatives to demolition” meeting was held with all consulting parties for FEMA demolitions.

Mr. Square indicated a new computer system is a priority and is currently being reviewed. The new system should be up and running by October, 2012.

Questions from the audience were answered and the meeting adjourned.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE CITY’s
November 17, 2011 BlightStat Presentation

At the first BlightStat meeting, Mayor Landrieu spoke about the hearing process noting that, “Continuances should be the exception rather than the rule.”

There’s been much progress toward that end over the last year. New hearing officers have been hired, case managers have been assigned, and the case review process has been streamlined. All in an effort to get properties adjudicated and if necessary, moved to Sheriff’s sale. Read more about that first BlightStat meeting in the link below:
https://fsjna.org/2010/11/bi-weekly-blight-business/

You can review my reports on all of the previous BlightStat Meetings in the links below:
Blight Sweep in 9th Ward: https://fsjna.org/2010/11/blighted-beginnings/
BLIGHTSTAT ONE: https://fsjna.org/2010/11/bi-weekly-blight-business/
BLIGHTSTAT TWO:https://fsjna.org/2010/11/keeping-our-eyes-on-the-prize/
BLIGHTSTAT THREE: https://fsjna.org/2010/12/what-gets-measured-gets-managed/
BLIGHTSTAT FOUR: https://fsjna.org/2010/12/blight-busting/
2010 Year End Update: https://fsjna.org/2010/12/year-end-update-from-the-landrieu-administration/
BLIGHTSTAT FIVE: https://fsjna.org/2011/01/the-5th-dimension-of-blight/
BLIGHTSTAT SIX: https://fsjna.org/2011/01/a-sixth-sense-for-blight/
BLIGHTSTAT SEVEN: https://fsjna.org/2011/02/the-7-heavens-of-blight/
BLIGHTSTAT EIGHT: https://fsjna.org/2011/02/8-by-ya-mommas/
BLIGHTSTAT NINE: https://fsjna.org/2011/03/blightstat-9/
BLIGHTSTAT TEN: https://fsjna.org/2011/03/blightstat-10/
BLIGHTSTAT ELEVEN: https://fsjna.org/2011/04/blightstat-11/
BLIGHTSTAT TWELVE: https://fsjna.org/2011/04/blightstat-12/
Mayor’s State of the City Address: https://fsjna.org/2011/04/one-city-that-shares-one-fate/
BLIGHTSTAT THIRTEEN: https://fsjna.org/2011/05/blightstat-13/
BLIGHTSTAT FOURTEEN: https://fsjna.org/2011/05/blightstat-14/
BLIGHTSTAT FIFTEEN: https://fsjna.org/2011/06/blightstat-15/
CITY GETS REPORT CARD: https://fsjna.org/2011/06/city-gets-report-card/
BLIGHTSTAT SIXTEEN: https://fsjna.org/2011/06/blightstat-16/
BLIGHTSTAT SEVENTEEN: https://fsjna.org/2011/06/blightstat-17/
BLIGHTSTAT EIGHTEEN: https://fsjna.org/2011/07/blightstat-18
BLIGHTSTAT NINETEEN: https://fsjna.org/2011/07/blightstat-19/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY: https://fsjna.org/2011/08/blightstat-20/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-ONE: https://fsjna.org/2011/08/blightstat-turns-21/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-TWO: https://fsjna.org/2011/09/blightstat-22/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-THREE: https://fsjna.org/2011/09/blightstat-23/
FIGHT BLIGHT RIGHT: https://fsjna.org/2011/09/fight-blight-right/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-FOUR: https://fsjna.org/2011/10/blightstat-24/
CITIZENS PARTICIPATE: https://fsjna.org/2011/10/citizens-participate-in-new-orleans/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-FIVE: https://fsjna.org/2011/10/blightstat-25/
BLIGHTSTAT TWENTY-SIX: https://fsjna.org/2011/11/blightstat-turns-one

BlightStat 20

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by Charlie London

This was the twentieth BlightStat meeting to which the public was invited to attend.

The City continues to march toward its goal of eradicating 10,000 blighted properties within three years. City departments that can help with this process meet every two weeks for a “BlightStat” meeting.

Goals have been set for each department and a presentation is made at each meeting to show how each department is doing toward meeting those goals.

Click here for a PDF of the City’s
August 11, 2011 BlightStat presentation.

BELOW ARE NOTES FROM THE
August 11th BLIGHTSTAT MEETING


The City’s Law Department is considering the use of interns for title research. The interns would be trained on Accela as part of their service. C.S. Lear asked that the Department of Sanitation be included on any Accela training.

Ms. Illarmo asked for an “in house” Accela person. Mr. Square indicated that is currently happening.

Ms. Illarmo indicated that there is an uptick in scheduled hearings but the total hearings completed remains far below the hearings target of 450 hearings every two weeks. One hundred hearings were completed over the last two weeks.

Of the cases completed there is a larger percentage of cases found guilty and a larger percentage of properties coming into compliance due to the threat of fines. Undesirable resets are down.
Ms. Illarmo stated that the hearings backlog should go down significantly once the data from the research days is entered into the system.

Mr. Carrere indicated that utility disconnects have been coordinated and demolitions continue to progress. Ms. Wilkerson discussed LLT demolitions. She indicated that funding is an issue but resources are being investigated to find funding to continue the mission of the LLT.

Mr. Carrere said his department is investigating previous applications for demolition denied by SHPO.

Mr. Wolcott discussed the FEMA demolition process and progress. A flow chart was presented and Mr. Wolcott indicated that inspections, abatement, and demolitions are all going on at the same time. His goal is to have at least one crew demolishing a house 6 days each week without stopping.

Mr. Hebert indicated that the Federal Government has forced the City to operate within their guidelines for demolitions. This slows the process.

Mr. Keith Ferrouillet discussed the Interim Nuisance Abatement Program. He indicated that the many rain days prevented a lot of the grass from being cut.

Twenty-nine FEMA trailers remain. All of the trailers should have been removed by now.

Ms. Lear discussed illegal dumping. She indicated that additional resources have been found which will help the work of the Sanitation Ranger continue. Tires removed are down but that is a function of how many get illegally dumped. Enforcement continues.
The City Attorneys are working in conjunction with the Sanitation Department to prosecute illegal dumpers.

Mr. Granderson said the number of files reviewed for Sherrif sale remains constant. The emphasis is on the quality of the case file. Mr. Tyler Gray indicated that the law department has reviewed 2,000 files. Mr. Wolcott indicated that the Law Department has been very efficient and a pleasure to work with.

Properties in Mid-City, N.O. East, and the 9th Ward will all be going into a Sherrif’s sale in September. Click HERE for more information.

Mr. Wesley Bayas indicated the auction training program done by the PRC went really well. This should eliminate a lot of confusion for buyers. Mr. Hebert indicated that Ms. Breaux and Mr. Gray went to the PRC seminar. Mr. Gray indicated that they answered some questions about blight. Ms. Breaux indicated that the seminar was extremely well attended and went well. Mr. Brad Vogel indicated that 120 people attended and was grateful for the participation of the law department.

Mr. Granderson indicated you will always see properties drop off the sale list as people pay fines to keep their property from being sold. A large amount dropped off this bi-weekly period. Total amount collected so far this year for lien foreclosures is $449,866.

Ms. Wilkerson continued the meeting with a discussion of NORA sales. She indicated there are around 900 properties working toward the closing process. More of the NSP2 properties are going to closing. About 60 of the 90 auction properties will close.

Properties bought at auction have to have the blight remediated within 90 days with substantial renovation happening within 360 days.
Ms. Wilkerson indicated that more information is needed for auction buyers such as if the property needs to be elevated etc.

Mr. Hebert asked Mr. Vogel about this and Mr. Vogel indicated that the City is often telling people that houses need to be elevated when they don’t have to be elevated.

The NORA inventory backlog remains high at 3,710. Public auction at UNO on September 10th. Thirty of those properties will be from Lakeview.

Mr. Wise discussed the Blight Performance slide and indicated that the team was doing “pretty good”. Questions from the audience were read and answered. Meeting adjourned.
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BLIGHTSTAT MEETING (every 2 weeks)
WHO: Key blight policy and code enforcement staff

WHEN: Thursday, August 25, 2011
8:00-9:30 AM CST

WHERE: 1340 Poydras Street
9TH Floor—City Planning Conference Room
New Orleans, LA 70117

BlightStat Meetings
Nov 4, 2010 | Nov 18, 2010 | Dec 2, 2010 | Dec 16, 2010
| Jan 13, 2011 | Jan 27, 2011 | Feb 10, 2011 | Feb 24, 2011 |
Mar 10, 2011 | March 29, 2011 | April 7, 2011 | April 21, 2011 | May 5, 2011 | May 19, 2011| | June 2, 2011 | June 16, 2011 | June 30, 2011 | July 14, 2011 | July 28, 2011 | August 11, 2011