fmaceachern@wiltonvillager.com

WILTON — Wilton has a new weapon in the fight against blighted properties.

The town's board of selectmen unanimously passed a resolution adopting the blight ordinance at its meeting Monday, May 5.

The ordinance, which will be adopted 21 days after official notice is published, came after 11 months of study, said Brennan.

He said the town wanted a strong ordinance which protected neighborhoods from properties overrun with junk, abandoned vehicles or homes in an obvious state of longtime disrepair such as having boarded windows.

"We do realize we have a few bad ones," said Brennan about properties in town.

The town was successful in a blight case earlier this year after taking Linda Masse at 100 Old Mill Road to court. She eventually cleaned her property to the satisfaction of the town.

A second case, 118 Cherry Lane, owned by Mr. and Mrs. John Rebo, is still before the court. The next court appearance is Monday, May 12.

Also, the town wanted to ensure the ordinance wasn't used as a weapon by a resident upset that a neighbor's home may not be perfectly cared for, said Brennan.

"These things (blight ordinances) can be used to harass others," said Brennan.

Currently blight issues are handled by a combination of zoning and health regulations.

The new ordinance allows the town to levy fines of up to $100 per day against property owners. A lien against the property could be applied by the town, as well.

A homeowner would have 60 days in which to clean the property. Extensions of up to 60 days could be granted if the homeowner made progress in cleaning the site.

Selectman Hal Clark said the ordinance "adds a sense of urgency," to prosecuting blight cases. In some cases, said Clark, homeowners have complained for years about neighboring properties without little getting done.

There was no opposition to the blight ordinance, said Second Selectman Susan Bruschi.

"No one has come up and said: 'No, we don't need this blight ordinance'," said Bruschi.