City seeks graffiti solutions

How does Sonoma cope with a projected 400% increase in graffiti cleanup costs?
That was the question Mayor Joanne Sanders placed before the City Council last week, urging a creative solution before June’s midyear budget review. “It’s becoming a $50,000-a-year problem,” Sanders said, adding that her Broadway business office gets “tagged weekly.”
In 2004, the city’s cleanup bill for graffiti and related vandalism was $4,000, contrasted with $8,000 so far this year, Public Works Director Milenka Bates told the council. Although some convict labor has been used to clean the city’s bike paths, Sonoma’s graffiti abatement relies largely on volunteer efforts – reimbursing property owners $100 per incident. One tagger was caught and successfully prosecuted earlier this year, netting the city a grand total of $125.
Staff will look into Councilmember Steve Barbose’s suggestion to use Community Development Agency funds to pay for cleanup efforts.