Board to Reconsider Graffiti
Resolution Community Board 7 will revisit a resolution it rejected at a recent meeting that would call for a city law to make landlords responsible for removing graffiti from their properties. At its monthly meeting on Jan. 16, the board said it would study the matter further after Laura Spalter, a member of Community Board 8 and president of the Riverdale Community Association spoke about the success of a similar law in Yonkers. Spalter said she and her organization have been urging community boards throughout the city to adopt the resolution. At the previous meeting, some worried that the law would penalize the victim - the landlord. The Yonkers legislation was controversial in the beginning, Spalter says, but has been very successful. The law stipulates that landlords must remove graffiti from their properties within 30 to 90 days after receiving a graffiti condition notice. If the landlord does not comply, he/she may be fined up to $250. The city then may do the work itself with labor provided by the Department of Community Services or hire a contractor to do the work if it requires more than just painting. If the city hires a contractor, the landlord would then be billed for the work. Spalter, a teacher at MS 80 who is considering a run for City Council this year, said that because Yonkers has become unfriendly turf for graffiti, vandals from there have been venturing into the Bronx to ply their trade, making the legislation even more necessary.
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