Atlanta's program to combat blight through targeted tax penalties has stalled, according to a new audit.
The blight tax was designed to incentivize owners of vacant and deteriorating properties to either improve or sell them by imposing higher tax rates. But the audit found the program has not been effectively implemented, leaving problem properties across Atlanta's neighborhoods unaddressed.
For neighborhoods across the city, especially historically disinvested areas on the south and west sides, blighted properties depress surrounding home values and create safety concerns. The program was seen as a tool to force action on long-neglected lots and structures.
The audit's findings raise questions about whether the city has the administrative capacity and political will to enforce the blight tax as intended. For homeowners living next to crumbling vacant properties, the news is another frustration in a long struggle for neighborhood improvement.
