BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WBRC ) - Birmingham City Council is hoping to pass a new ordinance that would allow the city to foreclose on blighted properties, aiming to help revitalize local neighborhoods.

In the Committee of the Whole meeting earlier this week, the city council voted unanimously to move a proposed lien foreclosure ordiance, meaning it will go to a city council vote.

Councilor Valerie Abbott said this has been an ongoing issue in the city for nearly three decades and those efforts have cost Birmingham taxpayers an estimated $75 million.

“We would’ve been able to use it to do something positive for our city,” Abbott said. “Instead, we’re taking care of people’s private property that they seem to be incapable of taking care of.”

A recently passed state law gives municipalities t

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