Belize City Council Targets Over 2,000 Abandoned Lots to Boost Property Tax Revenues

The Belize City Council is working to lessen the number of abandoned lots in the old capital. Over the past year, the council has identified over two thousand abandoned lots with overgrown grass and tons of garbage. The council believes that the derelict properties represent millions of dollars in lost property taxes and revenue. Belize City Administrator Albert Vaughn spoke to Love News this week about the issue and what the council intends to do.

Albert Vaughn, City Administrator: “What we will go after is those abandoned properties. We’re going after people who litter on the street, who move garbage out of their yard and place it at some corner of the street. We’re going after them as well too. We are saying you cannot do that. If you’re going to clean your yard, call the city council. We may help you. We may say to you about the white garbage that is the old refrigerator, old stove, and all these old tires and so and then we want to  work with you, right? There is a small fee that you may pay. It all depends on who we’re dealing with. So we are saying, we are also saying to the citizens that the illegal dumping of garbage, the hot spots, no we’re going to clean it up.”

The council’s property tax fee can be found on its website.