East Lyme — The Board of Selectmen is considering a blight ordinance that would apply to extremely dilapidated properties in town.

The selectmen have been discussing during meetings this fall a potential blight ordinance as a "tool of last resort" for extreme cases of derelict properties. 

They said East Lyme is in the minority of towns in Connecticut without a blight ordinance.

Selectman Marc Salerno updated the board Wednesday that the town attorney will soon review a draft blight ordinance for the town, and the selectmen will then discuss the draft at a future meeting.

Salerno said he and Zoning Official Bill Mulholland have researched blight ordinances, and the draft ordinance is based on a town similar to East Lyme and the state statute for blight.

If the blight ordinance is approved, Salerno said the process would entail a blight officer for the town who would respond to complaints.

The blight officer could be the Zoning Official or a health department official, for example.

The blight officer would inspect the property and — if blight is found — send out a notice to the property owner.

If the property owner does not respond to the notice within 60 days, the owner could be charged with a fine of up to $100 per day.

The property owner has a right to appeal the decision to a hearing citation officer or a hearing board.

Salerno said the draft ordinance under consideration excludes working farms.

Salerno also pointed out that the town wants to be sensitive to property rights and extenuating circumstances due to individuals being elderly, disabled or experiencing financial hardships.

He said if the selectmen move forward, they will have to consider how to handle special consideration for those who are elderly, disabled or having financial hardships.

He said some private groups could become involved, or potentially a fund could be set aside for extreme cases of blight.

First Selectman Mark Nickerson said service organizations, like the Lions Club or Rotary, may want to get involved.

Nickerson said in a phone interview that the blight ordinance would help with enforcement of cleaning up blighted properties.

He said he has received complaints about a few properties in town with major issues that are lowering property values and possibly posing a safety risk.

“We need this tool in our toolbox,” he said.

The selectmen are expected to review the comments from the town attorney on the draft, likely sometime next month.

k.drelich@theday.com

Twitter: @KimberlyDrelich