MAYVILLE - Derelict buildings in Chautauqua County could soon be getting cleaned up.
Tuesday, Chautauqua County Executive Greg Edwards submitted a resolution to the Chautauqua County Legislature, to expand the countywide Public Facilities Shared Services Agreement to address derelict structures throughout the county.
The agreement was first developed in 1995. It was created so the county and its municipalities could enter into an agreement to share equipment, materials and manpower.
In 2006, the agreement was amended. Since then, various boards and projects were created to help revitalize communities and combat vacant, abandoned and tax-delinquent properties in Chautauqua County including the Chautauqua County Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization Task Force. Most recently, the Chautauqua County Land Bank and the Chautauqua County Land Bank Corporation board of directors were added to the list.
"Derelict structures are an eyesore for our communities," Edwards said. "They create safety hazards for our residents and deter economic development in our communities. By amending the county's Shared Services Agreement, we will work together with municipalities to make our county a better place and remove these derelict homes and buildings from our county."
The resolution, which will be discussed by the Public Facilities Committee on Monday, proposed several amendments to the shared services agreement.
First, it would waive landfill tipping fees for construction and demolition waste by giving each participating town, village, and city annual credits for tipping fees. One credit would allow for the disposal of 80 tons of construction and demolition waste at the County Landfill and towns and villages would receive one credit, the city of Jamestown would receive four credits, and the city of Dunkirk would receive two credits.
Additionally, it would allow the county to join in municipalities' enforcement of building codes, zoning ordinances and derelict structure laws by utilizing its county Sanitary Code to identify and hold responsible parties liable for the expense and remediation of problem properties.
The resolution would also assist local governments in obtaining titles through tax foreclosures to advance their funding awards and use the county land bank to help with the potential resale or redevelopment of project properties.
Finally, it would enable the county to provide project assistance where possible, and provide letters of support to assist individuals or groups with their grant applications and funding requests.
The resolution will be reviewed by the Public Facilities Committee on Monday at 4 p.m. in Room 331 of the Gerace Office Building in Mayville.
