An assessment is the City's means to recover costs for performing improvements on such things as: sidewalks, alleys, or street lighting. It also takes care of nuisances that should have been removed by the property owner.

There are several types of nuisance violations for which the City may clean up or remove the nuisance and assess the costs for doing so to the property owner. (see Summary Abatement)

The City's costs include not only the direct cost of the nuisance abatement, but also notice, legal, and administrative costs. Therefore, the cost assessed for a City cleanup is significantly higher than the owner's cost to do the same cleanup.

Unless paid immediately an assessment appears as a charge added to the registered owner's property tax bill. It is usually due with the next year's property taxes.

Substantial Abatement, which is a large assessment for such things as the demolition of a vacant building, may be spread over a longer time period by Council action.

For information on City property taxes or current assessments, call (651) 266-8858.


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