This is the only city I've lived in that just lets trash accumulate, never collects the fines it levies, never collects the liens against a property those fines become.
There's no leaf collection in my neighborhood. No street sweeping unless someone the mayor likes asks for it.
Illegal dumping is out of control. We have to organize a heavy trash pick up day, there is no set date that is advertised by the city.
The trash along all the SEPTA routes inside the city is disgusting. The R7 line is disgusting.
The city has given up.
But according to www.hallwatch.org, there is $563,389,411.85 in overdue taxes on 160,334 properties.
One way to find the money needed to clean up would be to collect this tax. Foreclose.
It's a burden to all of us that some people are not held accountable.
Every house that was turned over in a Sheriff's sale in my neighborhood has been renovated and is either on the market, or has new neighbors in it.
The effect this has had on cleaner streets and better standards is phenomenal, and the city got money instead of spent money.
Anywhere where there was an abatement of property tax ended up getting so many huge liens paid off that the city developed a surplus.
If the city stops fighting the private market and lets it work, the trash problem and means to pay for it are solved.
anonymous
Comments (1)
It's unfortunate that some people think that if you write positively about clean up, improvements, renovation, and change, then to the minds of some old-timers, you are excluding them.
Dribben got a letter to the editor reminding people that there was a neighborhood "already there" and that the renovations are not a sign of a frontier.
To my mind, I read the article about the outskirts of University City and read that the obvious needs of the community that is there and was there are finally being met.
The point is those needs are not being met by the city or the politicians as much as in spite of them.
Posted by Anonymous | October 11, 2007 5:42 PM
Posted on October 11, 2007 17:42