Overgrown on the outside, unlivable on the inside, frustrated neighbors on all sides. A pair of problematic properties were addressed during the Wilton Commission’s meeting Feb. 10.
Commissioners instructed city staff to begin foreclosure proceedings on the property at 637 NW 29 Court. Code Compliance opened a case against the vacant home in August 2024. As of Jan. 27, 2026 it had been out of compliance for 386 days and accrued a running total of $96,500 in fines at a rate of $250 per day.
Violations include prohibited outdoor storage, discolored exterior paint, prohibited vegetation on roof and driveway, prohibited overgrowth and dead palm fronds, and not having address numbers on the house. A downed tree blocks the driveway.
The building has long been vacant and one commissioner said vagrants have tried living there. Despite its dilapidated condition, it could likely sell for well more than the fine total and associated legal costs, allowing the city to make a healthy profit.
At the same meeting, a different foreclosure process was dismissed due to a very costly clerical error. Commissioners unanimously released the lien against 1424 – 1428 NE 23rd Street.
The case was opened March 17, 2021 but the lien wasn’t recorded until May 10, 2022. The property was sold during the intervening 14 months and the new owner could reasonably say they weren’t aware of the city’s position.
The liens, at $250 per day, accrued to $418,750, although collecting that much wasn’t realistic. Once the issues are addressed, the total fines are often appealed and reduced by 50% or more on appeal.
Code Compliance Supervisor Abel Alberro, who didn’t come on board until 2021, says this can’t happen again. He changed procedures so once a lien is applied the city files it within three business days.
The property was cited for unpermitted renovations, vegetative overgrowth, an unpermitted storage unit, and trash and debris strewn over the property. Today the street view is blocked by a construction-style chain link fence. A pile of dirt sits to one side of the front yard while signs of neglect show on the street facing side.
Money Matters
Commissioners appointed two new members to the city’s Financial Advisory Board (FAB). The group helps build the city’s budget, sorting through millions of dollars in mandatory and discretionary spending requests. The new members begin as FAB starts piecing together the FY28 budget, which begins Oct. 1.
The new members are Gil Pontes III and Clive Salmon.
Salmon moved to Wilton from Georgia last year and has experience in event and production management, including budgetary challenges. He is immersing himself in the city’s culture. Last year he participated in Island City University, Wilton’s inside look at city operations, and is midway through Wilton’s Citizen Police Academy.
Pontes is also a relatively new resident of Wilton, having moved here slightly less than three years ago. He graduated from University of Massachusetts with a degree in with a BA in political science and was elected to be a Selectman (like a city councilor) in Berkley, Mass. when he was 19.
637 NW 29 Court. Photo by John Hayden.
