(a) The purpose of this chapter is to establish a vacant property registration program and to regulate the maintenance of properties which are in the foreclosure process, abandoned or vacant. This chapter is intended to reduce and prevent neighborhood blight, to avoid the creation and maintenance of public nuisances, to ameliorate conditions that threaten the public health, safety and welfare, to promote neighborhood stability and occupancy by preserving the condition and appearance of residential properties and the worth and activity of commercial and industrial properties, and to maintain property values and assessments.
(b) Furthermore, the City recognizes and acknowledges the research of the Clark County Combined Health District (the "Health District"). Specifically, the Health District's research documents the deleterious effects of vacant properties in our neighborhoods including chronic illness, environmental stressors, lead poisoning, poor air quality, physical hazards to children and adult residents and increase in fire fighter injuries. Additional deleterious effects, includes but are not limited to, increased violence and crimes such as: narcotics use, sale, and manufacture, juvenile delinquency, stolen property, juvenile runaways, sex offenders, trespassing, vandalism, dumping, burglary and prostitution. The blight caused by vacancies also has a chilling economic affect in lowering home values and slowing economic growth which has an indirect but measurable effect on the overall health of the residents in the neighborhoods.
(c) There is hereby adopted, then, for the aforementioned purposes and for the purpose of providing a means of identifying the owner and/or responsible entities of vacant and/or abandoned properties within the corporate limits of the City, having complete contact information on record for these properties and responsible parties, a registration and maintenance requirement for vacant and/or abandoned properties.
(d) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to waive, relieve or otherwise excuse an owner of property from compliance with all applicable codes, ordinances, statutes or laws and the owner shall at all times remain responsible and liable therefore. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent the enforcement of other provisions of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Springfield; Springfield Property Maintenance, Building, or Fire Code; or the Ohio Revised Code, and nothing in this chapter shall be construed to relieve an owner or interested party from duties imposed pursuant to any regulatory code, ordinance, statute, or law of the City or State of Ohio.