In a perfect world, the city would never have to get involved in cleaning unkempt properties. Property owners would always have the means and ability to keep houses and lots neat and tidy.

But a quick look around Brookhaven shows that’s not the world we live in. Some people inherit property and can’t afford to maintain it. Some simply don’t care about the condition of their property — or the negative impact a run-down parcel can have on neighboring property values. Some are simply unable, because of age or health reasons, to maintain their property.

And that’s when the city gets involved. Through a painfully long process, the city will eventually clean these eyesores.

The Brookhaven Board of Aldermen and the city building inspector on Tuesday determined that some unkempt properties in the city are in such a state of uncleanliness or disrepair as to be a menace to the public health and safety of the community.

Owners of the properties will have up to a year after a final cleanup list is approved to take care of the problems, said City Inspector David Fearn. The list will be approved in the next regular Board of Aldermen meeting in October.

Cleanup work is done at the owner’s expense, and a lien can be placed against the property for the cleanup costs. But in reality, the city may never see some of that money. That means taxpayers are on the hook for cleaning up private property, which is a shame.

The only alternative is to convince a city of 12,500 people to do a better job of keeping up their properties. That’s not likely to happen, though. Fines can help, but if people don’t have the means to maintain their property, they likely don’t have the means to pay a fine either.

Fearn encourages residents who know of properties needing to be cleaned or torn down to report them to their alderman or the City Inspector’s Office directly.

We are thankful the city has prioritized this effort. We encourage aldermen to be judicious when it comes to adding properties to the cleanup list, and be willing to work with owners who are making a good faith effort to improve their properties.