Rockland officials are narrowing their focus on roughly a dozen “hardcore” problem properties as they pitch a new Blight and Nuisance Bylaw ahead of the upcoming Town Meeting. The proposal, discussed during a community forum on Thursday, seeks to formalize a multi-departmental task force that would unite the Building, Health, Fire, and Police departments to address private sites that have become chronic safety risks or health hazards.

The meeting facilitator explained that the bylaw is not intended to function like a neighborhood homeowner's association. The purpose of this bylaw is to establish a coordinated multi-department approach for identifying and addressing conditions on private property that create public health hazards, safety risks, or significant deterioration, the facilitator said. They emphasized that the regulations would ignore cosmetic issues like paint color or lawn decor in favor of tackling vermin, stagnant water, and deteriorating structures. The new framework triggers task force intervention only after a property owner remains non-responsive for 90 days across three separate code violations.

Building Commissioner Tom Rubble sought to ease fears of aggressive enforcement, describing the initiative as a tool for the town's most difficult cases. There's no heavy-handed approach, Rubble said. These are going to be for just real hardcore issues that nobody’s going to listen to. An unidentified staff member added that while about 20 properties were originally identified during preliminary tracking, simple intervention has already reduced the list. I think we're down to approximately 10 or 12. Those are a combination of blighted and problem properties that, if they just remove one or two things, they're off the list, the staff member noted.

Resident Sherry questioned whether the town would offer physical assistance to those unable to clear heavy items or struggling with specific circumstances. Is there room for exceptions based on circumstances, whatever they may be? she asked. And would or does the town provide some assistance? Because for example, some of these things that may be on the property and they don't have the wherewithal to dispose of them. Do we help out with that? Does somebody send a truck and load it up for them?

Health Agent Delshan Flip responded that while liability prevents town employees from entering private property to haul debris, the town prioritizes communication. We issue vouchers annually to people to use towards disposal, Flip said. We always educate before we retaliate. That's just a big huge saying that I always have. So, we would find a way to help if we could. Staff member Allison added that the task force’s data collection would help the town understand if blight is disproportionately affecting specific groups, such as residents over age 55. That data tells a story for us to come up with ways to address it that aren't punitive, she noted.

The proposal comes as Rockland continues to manage its Union Street corridor, which already carries a federal blight designation. Officials noted that many residents are currently seeking help through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program to repair their homes, a sign that maintenance remains a challenge amid the town's ongoing fiscal constraints. The bylaw is intended to provide a framework for properties that have remained non-responsive to individual department citations for more than three months. No formal action was taken during the informational session, as the bylaw is slated for a future Town Meeting warrant.