District 5 Councilmember’s Policy Proposal to Supplement City Program
Published on September 19, 2024
District 5 Councilmember’s Policy Proposal to Supplement City’s Relocation Program
SAN ANTONIO (September 23, 2024) — The City of San Antonio now has an extra tool to hold nuisance property owners accountable thanks to a Council Consideration Request (CCR) filed by District 5 Councilmember Teri Castillo back in February 2024. The Planning & Community Development Committee took up the CCR today where the City Attorney’s Office (CAO) recommended that the City can take action to recover costs related to responding to severe nuisance properties enrolled in the City’s Dangerous Assessment Response Team (DART) program.
“Nuisance DART properties not only jeopardize our community’s health and well-being and often create a negative perception of entire neighborhoods,” Castillo said. “These properties also drain City resources and staff time that could otherwise go towards helping more residents. Thank you to my colleagues and City staff for standing alongside District 5 residents and supporting this solution which will foster safer, healthier, and more vibrant communities for everyone.”
Going forward, a cost recovery amount will be included in each DART compliance agreement related to the number of COSA resources used in the inspection. The City Attorney uses compliance agreements to establish the series of corrective actions a DART property owner must take. For properties that do not enter into compliance agreements or breach compliance agreements, the CAO will continue to seek fees and fines through the judicial process.
The committee also supported the District 5 Councilmember’s request to make the DART cost recovery funds eligible to supplement the City’s Relocation Program. Most DART properties carry at least two years of code, criminal, and/or other nuisances, which creates poor living conditions for tenants. Under current COSA practice, tenant families who are eligible for relocation may apply for two months of rent and deposits along with other non-housing resources.
“The City’s relocation assistance funds are scarce and should not be used to bail out negligent property owners,” the District 5 Councilmember continued. “As a condition of bringing their nuisance property into compliance, owners are now required to re-pay taxpayers for the housing instability their negligence creates.”
These updates will be implemented immediately by the CAO, who will monitor the changes and determine if a recommendation for more stringent measures is needed going forward.