The ordinance requires property owners with vacant commercial buildings to register those locations with the city and pay a $25 fee.
Owners must also meet certain maintenance and security requirements, including removing trash or graffiti and keeping up the yard.
Mayor Isaac Hodges voted to approve the ordinance at a meeting last week.
"It is necessary to help foster people, even sometimes moving along and making a decision instead of keeping a building in disrepair and letting it fall apart and affecting all the businesses around them," he said. "It also is a very minor, minor cost, and I think, even more importantly, is that we put a lot of work into this to making sure it isn't punitive, but it is the city working with the business owner."
Councilor Andy Martin was the lone dissenting vote.
"Government should get involved as little as possible in telling people what they can and can't do with their property," he said.
The city has an estimated 15-20 vacant commercial buildings.
"The fact is many more owners' property rights are infringed upon by a blighted and deteriorating building, than the property rights of the single owner of the vacant property," according to a staff report.
Property owners who fail to comply could face fines of more than $700.
Councilor Phoebe Pereda supported the ordinance.
"There’s a registration form with a $25 fee," she said. "Just keeping it in good shape, that’s all we’re asking property owners to do, is not allow it to fall into disrepair and become a hazard for the rest of the community."
She said having registration information will also be helpful in case the city needs to contact property owners.
Pereda also brought up the broken windows theory, adding, "When you keep those properties upkept, it discourages crime and the whole neighborhood benefits."
Similar ordinances are already in effect elsewhere in Oregon, including Medford, Veneta and Coos Bay.
