PHOENIX (CBS5) -
The City of Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department launched a new pilot program July 1 called the Graffiti Free Phoenix Program.
It involves the area from 43rd to 59th avenues and McDowell and Camelback roads, including properties on major thoroughfares where the city said it has had a high volume of graffiti-related incidents in the past year.
The City of Phoenix website said the plan is for City Graffiti Busters and Neighborhood Preservation Inspectors to work together to remove and track graffiti.
If it is on your property, the city will remove the graffiti for you the first three times at no charge, according to the site. It goes on to explain that each time the city removes graffiti, the property owner will get educational materials and free color-matched paint for self-removal.
The enforcement process will begin at the fourth graffiti-related incident, the website said. The property owner will get a Notice of Violation and will have five days to clean up the graffiti. Citations will be issued if it is not cleaned up in those five days.
One homeowner in the area said he thinks it a fair method to fight the problem.
"If my place gets tagged, and they come by and give me a couple of warnings and are willing to give me the paint, all I got to do is put a brush to work and put in a little bit of elbow grease, I won't have to worry about paying that fine," said Lonnie Hutchins.
The Graffiti Free Phoenix pilot program was a recommendation of the city's Anti-Graffiti Task Force formed in March 2011.
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