Galesburg residents are looking for a way to battle blight in their neighborhoods.
On Monday, September 14, 2015, Aldermen Jeremy Karlin and Wayne Dennis hosted a public hearing to discuss issues with the city's property code, neighborhood appearance and vacant homes.
Around 50 people attended the session, with nearly all of them agreeing that the current system of enforcement isn't working.
"The city just keeps getting worse. It's going to be a little Detroit. The houses, they leave standing. I have one on my street that's been empty for 20 years. And why?" said resident Sandy Allison.
Allison, along with neighbors Pat Traff and Ranee Collura, brought the issue to aldermen after discussions with their Neighborhood Watch group. They're hoping to find a better way to deal with the city's empty and deteriorating houses.
Last year, the city assessor counted 382 vacant properties in Galesburg. The homes are spread all over the city, not clumped in any particular location.
"They're decaying, and that does not send a good message to people that want to move here or a business that wants to come here," said Ranee Collura.
Aldermen said they'll take all the comments and ideas from Monday's meeting to the entire City Council. They hope to develop a plan to address neighborhood blight in the coming months.