City council defeated a motion that would have seen $500,000 go towards the removal of graffiti on private property throughout the city.
Ald. John Mar proposed that the city increase the budget from $250,000 up to half a million dollars to help those who deal with graffiti on private property.
“Others think the $250,000 plan is adequate. I don’t think it is for a citywide program,” said Mar.
“It’s one of the cheapest forms of crime prevention.”
Mar said that it is unfair to private building owners who are victimized by graffiti and then victimized again when they have to pay for the damage done to their property.
Ald. Andre Chabot opposed Mar’s motion. “The way it was written was having public funds exclusively funding graffiti removal and abatement on private property. While I sympathize with a lot of people, what was being proposed was three times what was looked at during budget discussions,” Chabot said,
Chabot would rather see the graffiti abatement dealt with through regular funds instead of the fiscal stability reserves, and that the city partner up with the private sector to deal with the issue.
