MIDDLETOWN, Ohio — Among downtown buildings in violation of the city of Middletown’s ordinance for vacant properties are buildings owned by the city itself.

A Journal-News investigation found the city of Middletown isn’t enforcing its rules meant to encourage property owners to maintain and restore vacant properties.

The investigation found:

City officials are not requiring property owners to register vacant properties with the city, as required by legislation on the books since 2019. So there isn’t a full accounting of vacant downtown properties.

The lack of enforcement means the city is foregoing potentially hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, as well as failing to make sure buildings are meeting safety and maintenance standards.

Some properties owned by the city itself don

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