Making a difference in our neighborhoods
Operation Clean Up Syracuse Everyday (C.U.S.E.)

Operation C.U.S.E. is a joint effort of the City's Public Works, Parks, Code Enforcement, Police, SyraStat, Law, and Finance departments born out of SyraStat sessions on CityLine and Code Enforcement. Property owners and tenants would simply let trash and debris accumulate on their property until it became an eyesore for the neighborhood, and in some instances a public health hazard. The City would then clean up the mess but only charge the owner a meager $75 fee.

SyraStat figured out the actual cost for the cleanup of one of these properties. The results were staggering. Not only was the City of Syracuse losing a substantial amount of money on each of these cleanups, but the City was also providing absolutely no incentive for owners to keep their properties clean. Because of this review, the fee structure was changed so that billing for these cleanups finally covered expenses,  taxpayers were no longer underwriting the cost, and negligent property owners were finally being held accountable.

Since the program’s inception in 2005, negligent property owners have been billed for nearly $100,000 in fees for cleaning up their messes. These increased fees have provided an incentive for better maintenance by owners and ultimately neighborhoods have benefitted from safer, more appealing properties. If a property owner doesn’t pay their bill or their taxes, the City can still recoup most of the cleanup cost through tax lien sales and other methods.

Friday, April 2, 2010 - City crews pick up accumulated trash and debris at 604 West Colvin Street including eight TVs and 150 tires. Costs and fees of $6,548.80 will be added to the property tax bill.
Before & During	After the Cleanup