They’re boarded up, weeds are growing and there’s garbage everywhere. Paul Harris is tired of seeing “vacant and derelict properties,” as he calls them, and not being able to do anything about them.

Last night, the Red Deer city councilor successfully asked council to back his motion asking the province for more tools to crack down on such buildings, which he says attract crime and stifle neighbourhood development.

One possible tool suggested last night included being able to change the tax rate on a problem building.

In Harris’ Notice of Motion, council also directed staff to explore options to address the problem, whether that’s changing the city’s community standards bylaw or enforcement practices – a search for a way the city could condemn or expropriate such properties.

To Harris, buildings like the one near Saro’s on 52 Street are more than just eyesores. In his Notice of Motion submitted to council, he says criminologists have linked derelict properties to serious crimes.

“It’s a community hazard, it’s a health hazard, it’s a fire hazard. Those are the ones that we really got to address,” Harris said.

“Near Saro’s there’s a building there that’s been boarded up for nearly 20 years now. It’s so bad that you can smell mold coming out of the building. People are taking down the boarding and they’re going into that building where they’re using it to feed their addictions or hide from the rain.”

“You can imagine what other types of activities might go on in that building,” he continued.

The city’s bylaws do not specifically address vacant and derelict properties and Harris said that also needs to change in order to define the problem.