Jackson leaders vote to pass vacant property ordinance

JACKSON, Tenn. — A new ordinance in the Hub City will crack down on vacant properties.

“One of the concerns is that so many vacant buildings tend to make a downtown area or a city look unkempt,” City Councilman Gary Pickens, of District 1, said.

On Tuesday, the Jackson City Council passed a vacant property ordinance for commercial properties and two-story apartment complexes.

“Basically what we’re trying to do is get them to be accountable for the property that they own, and we’ll have a contact person that lives in the city of Jackson,” said City Councilman Johnny Dodd, of District 2.

“When the firemen, policemen, anyone goes into a building, they’re risking their lives,” City Councilman Marda Wallace, of District 7, said. “We need to know that this is up to a certain code.”

In addition to registering their vacant property with the Jackson planning department, property owners will also have to pay a $400 registration fee.

That registration fee will double every year the building is vacant, maxing out at $6,400.

“I really encourage everyone to look at this positively,” Wallace said. “This is not a way to punish, to gather money — this is a way for the city to obtain information.”

Pickens says he voted against the ordinance because residents in his district had some oppositions to it.

“A lot of them had to do, No. 1, with the cost,” Pickens said. “I had one or two comments from constituents that they thought it was a governmental overreach.”

City leaders say the ordinance will not affect property owners who are maintaining or actively trying to lease their properties.