MARREN: Incentives needed for homeowners

Columns

Related Photos

May 3, 2009

By Tim Marren<br><a href="mailto:tim.marren@lockportjournal.com">E-mail Tim</a> The Lockport Union-Sun %26 Journal Sun May 03, 2009, 12:32 AM EDT

It’s interesting what you’ll find on the Internet sometimes — especially on our newspaper Web site.

But lately our normally off-the-wall and sometimes obscene community discussion forum has been pretty constructive.

There’s a thread that sprung up this week following Judith Northcliffe pleaded guilty to three building code violations at 162 Monroe St., the house she owns but hasn’t lived in for some time. The comments from our web visitors have lead to a discussion on incentives that should be offered for those that improve their property.

Kudos to these web guys for creating a really good discussion.

It lead us in the newsroom to question why assessments go up on those who improve the exterior of their house, while the assessments on those who let their homes fall into disrepair are basically awarded for keeping a crappy piece of property.

It seems so obvious, reverse assessments.

If a homeowner improves their home, credit them, or lower their assessment. There needs to be incentive for those who spend hard-earned money improving their homes.

This weekend, as you start your spring makeover on your home and probably continue long into the summer, chipping away at that list that never ends, how much more motivated would you be if you knew the city would take your work into account when reassessing.

The city has a good number (and that’s being nice) of rundown properties. Many of these properties are not maintained by the absentee landlords. People rent and pay good money to live there, but the owners of these properties do nothing to keep them up. What incentive do they have to keep it up?

If they were to improve the property they are renting, not only would it be income property, but they’d be lowering the assessment and the amount owed in taxes. That’s not even mentioning the overall improvement to the neighborhood and the pride in homeownership.

Whether it’s private, one-family homes or landlords or even business owners, the idea of rewarding those who make improvements to their property needs to be considered. It’s a forward thinking idea that’s being discussed at lockportjournal.com, now we just need those at Lockport City Hall and at the county offices to discuss the same.

Tim Marren is the managing editor of the Lockport Union-Sun & Journal. Contact him at Tim.Marren@lockportjournal.com or 439-9222.

Text Only

Columns

LEFFLER: The things that actually matter
To hear some people tell it, this great republic of ours is on the brink of disintegration.

May 22, 2012 1 Photo
Your friends are great ... at Facebook
The internet has been the facilitator of a lot of good things; it allows us to comparison shop without putting on pants, lets people check the weather report without having to watch the rest of the news and it’s made keeping in touch with friends and family a breeze; cruising through Facebook seeing pictures of your friend from high school’s new baby, a twitter feed full of self-promoting tweets about your neighbor’s new online start-up, a status update from your nephew that talks about meeting Buffalo Bills legend Jim Kelly. Reading all of these updates from the exciting lives of your friends and family while you sit at home, it can at times feel like everyone is living the dream but you.

May 17, 2012 1 Photo
The war against the English language
April 25, 2012
VINCENT DAVIS II: Oil prices and the 'Bro-conomy'
Can we be serious for a moment; not too long, but longer than usual? Gas prices are going up folks. US oil drilling is at its highest point in more than 10 years. But when Toyota Prius commercials come on TV during sporting events, we know longer make fun of them for advertising a “fake car” that “only a hippy or English professor would drive.” Instead, we think to ourselves “40 miles a gallon, that does sound nice ...”

March 16, 2012 1 Photo
‘Mailing it in’ is not good enough
The U.S. Postal Service has been mailing it in for years. It has stuck like an old postage stamp to a business model that was going nowhere fast, literally. Snail mail is still the USPS stock in trade, and it has increasingly earned its nickname. And for a poorly run operation, it certainly does cost a lot. USPS must offer competitive shipping options, guaranteed faster delivery times and overall service enhancements — or the death spiral of an American institution will continue.

March 2, 2012
Gadgets Galore
The 2012 International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas has come and gone, but the gadgets introduced there likely will be part of our future for years to come. Record numbers were set with attendance, vendors, and square footage of exhibit space. Innovations were unveiled, and in some cases, expectations dashed.

January 29, 2012 5 Photos
LEFFLER: I remember the scream
If you’re sick of news of the run for the White House, I’ve got some really bad news for you: It’s about to get worse.

January 3, 2012 1 Photo
Put some Apple accessories under the tree this year
December 18, 2011 6 Photos
War of 1812 has lots of connections to us
December 17, 2011
Don’t overlook freedom
November 13, 2011
More Columns Headlines

Columns

Search Results

Related Photos

MARREN: Incentives needed for homeowners

Site Map

Contact Us