Supports foreclosure inspections in Elgin

Everyone knows that Elgin has a huge number of really rundown houses. And everyone knows that Elgin is suffering along with the nation in this unprecedented blight of foreclosed houses. But most people don't know that Elgin can't currently inspect the interiors of foreclosed houses.

What if there were a way for the city of Elgin to take this foreclosure blight and make it an unprecedented opportunity to upgrade significant numbers of our worst houses? I am not talking 12 or 15 houses as we are getting with the federally-funded Neighborhood Stabilization Program. I am talking 1,000 or maybe even 1,400 houses! The uplifting effect could be more significant than any program ever conceived for our city.

How could this possibly be done?

Change the law so that the city can inspect the interior of every vacant, foreclosed house in Elgin. Then check for illegal apartments and living units in the basements, in the attics, in the garages. Check for fire hazards, water problems. Issue the list of all findings to the owners/banks and publish them online so that everyone can see what is wrong with every foreclosed house.

Each house's critical/illegal problems must be corrected before the city allows anyone to live in that house. The control mechanism would be like an occupancy permit, which the city now issues to new houses when they are ready to be lived in.

The battle in the city council will hinge on whether we can afford to do this. We have been presented with a rare opportunity, one which hopefully we will never face again.

Timidity and failure to act will cost the city much more money in the long run than to act decisively now. This is why I support Mayor Schock's proactive position on this new concept.

Charles Keysor

Elgin