Saint John is exploring the idea of a vacant building tax to help disincentivize vacancies in the city.

It is one of several ideas that was presented to members of the city’s growth committee on Tuesday.

But Benn Purinton, who oversees the dangerous and vacant buildings program, said they need help from the province.

“In New Brunswick, we currently cannot do a tax. We do not have the authority under the legislation to do so,” Purinton told committee members.

The city’s growth committee recommended that council “aggressively pursue” legislative changes with the province that would allow for a tax on vacant buildings.

Purinton said permit fees are also another option for the city, but it would also require legislative changes from a provincial level.

“The main issue is collection. Municipalities that typically implement these systems are able to pursue collection by laying the fees on the outstanding property tax bill,” he said.

“In New Brunswick, we’re only able to pursue collection by laying charges in provincial court, which is extremely resource-intensive.”

The committee also asked council to pursue changes to the tax sale process, which Purinton said provide a direct solution to deal with abandonment.

Purinton said the current process is lengthy and often allows for excessive deterioration to occur at vacant buildings before they are sold at a tax sale.

“In a lot of cases, demolition occurs prior to tax sale,” he said.

The city will also pursue fines for the owners of vacant buildings if they ignore a notice to comply. However, as Purinton noted, it will only be used in select instances as the process is very resource intensive.

Meanwhile, the committee conditionally endorsed a one-year pilot project of an unsightly repair program. The city would use legislation that allows for the repair of unsightly conditions, with the costs being charged to the property owner.

According to Purinton’s presentation, the program would provide more enforcement measures to disincentivize vacancy, but would not resolve cases.

There are limitations to what the city would be able to do, he said, such as fixing broken windows, replacing missing siding, and securing a building.

Other recommendations include enhancing the Minimum Property Standards program so staff move from a complaint-based to a proactive approach, and expanding the beautification grant to the north end for 2023.