The Brentwood Board of Aldermen on Monday approved a bill to allow residents to vote in November to allow a registration fee on homes that are vacant for more than six months and have outstanding code violations, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
After an investigation, the city can notify the owner of a vacant house with code violations that they have to register and pay the fee. If the owner brings the property up to code within 30 days they don’t have to pay.
The fee would be $200 semiannually, which is just enough to cover the cost of administration.
It’s on the ballot because Missouri’s Hancock Amendment requires a vote on anything that could be seen as a tax increase.
Doesn’t matter if it’s not enforced. Like the sign codes and the commercial vehicles parked on the streets over night.