Published: Thursday, November 26, 2009
When taggers strike in Everett, city picks up the cleanup bill
Paying for quick cleanups proves to be an effective strategy against tagging.
EVERETT — Graffiti is more than an eyesore.
Its presence can increase the number of crimes in an area.
Cities, counties and the state spend thousands every year erasing it.
They deploy graffiti squads and pass tough measures to encourage property owners to take care of it, including steep fines.
In Everett, officials think they’ve hit on an effective way to keep it at bay: When a home is tagged, the city pays to clean it up.
Everett just finished a year-long pilot program that encourages people to call a hotline to report graffiti: 425-257-URIT. If the vandalism happens on private property, the city connects the owner with a graffiti removal company, and the city picks up the bill.
The program isn’t yet offered to commercial property owners.
In Everett, property owners must clean up graffiti. Other cities usually make homeowners pay, which in effect victimizes the victim a second time, city spokeswoman Kate Reardon said.
City leaders allotted $60,000 for the pilot project, but it’s turned out to be much less expensive — at least so far.
About 161 properties have been cleaned up under the program at an average cost of about $100 each, she said. Compare the $16,164 the city spent on that program to what the average $25,000 it budgets annually to clean up damage and graffiti from its traffic signs, light poles and other traffic controlled structures. Some of that money goes to fix knocked-over signs, but much of it is spent on graffiti removal.
“It seems to be working from what I know,” Everett Councilman Paul Roberts said.
Roberts said he hadn’t seen an objective evaluation of the program so far.
Everett plans to continue paying to clean up tagging. Graffiti, however, is cyclical and the city is still watching the cost of the program closely.
“Graffiti is an issue that has to be combated over and over again,” she said. “At some point, we win.”
Debra Smith: 425-339-3197, dsmith@heraldnet.com.
Its presence can increase the number of crimes in an area.
Cities, counties and the state spend thousands every year erasing it.
They deploy graffiti squads and pass tough measures to encourage property owners to take care of it, including steep fines.
In Everett, officials think they’ve hit on an effective way to keep it at bay: When a home is tagged, the city pays to clean it up.
Everett just finished a year-long pilot program that encourages people to call a hotline to report graffiti: 425-257-URIT. If the vandalism happens on private property, the city connects the owner with a graffiti removal company, and the city picks up the bill.
The program isn’t yet offered to commercial property owners.
In Everett, property owners must clean up graffiti. Other cities usually make homeowners pay, which in effect victimizes the victim a second time, city spokeswoman Kate Reardon said.
City leaders allotted $60,000 for the pilot project, but it’s turned out to be much less expensive — at least so far.
About 161 properties have been cleaned up under the program at an average cost of about $100 each, she said. Compare the $16,164 the city spent on that program to what the average $25,000 it budgets annually to clean up damage and graffiti from its traffic signs, light poles and other traffic controlled structures. Some of that money goes to fix knocked-over signs, but much of it is spent on graffiti removal.
“It seems to be working from what I know,” Everett Councilman Paul Roberts said.
Roberts said he hadn’t seen an objective evaluation of the program so far.
Everett plans to continue paying to clean up tagging. Graffiti, however, is cyclical and the city is still watching the cost of the program closely.
“Graffiti is an issue that has to be combated over and over again,” she said. “At some point, we win.”
Debra Smith: 425-339-3197, dsmith@heraldnet.com.
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