Baton Rouge Eyes New Measures To Fight Blight

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — To combat blight, East Baton Rouge officials want to make it easier to foreclose on neglected or abandoned property.

The Advocate reports that city-parish officials are pushing a new plan to foreclose on a property if the owner fails to pay liens placed on the property, said David Guillory, interim director of the Department of Public Works.

Such liens, known as "nuisance liens," are attached to a property when city crews have to do work, such as grass mowing, to take care of a private property, Guillory said.

Currently the city-parish can only foreclose on a property for nonpayment of taxes, Guillory said.

The plan will require the adoption of new city-parish ordinances.