In one of those telling moments in the aging of the suburbs, Savage is considering whether to take a more aggressive stance on poorly maintained homes.

"As the housing stock ages and through poor property management and maintenance," a memo from staffers to the City Council says, "the city housing stock will decrease in quality, which affects neighboring property values and the image of the community."

Among the options to be considered by the City Council on Monday:

• The Burnsville model, using "staff to patrol areas to look for exterior property maintenance issues" but working with owners to "fix maintenance issues prior to issuing a citation."

• The Lakeville model, waiting for complaints to act. This is less costly for the city.

• The Bloomington/Richfield model, requiring a level of upkeep be shown any time a property changes hands.

The staff is recommending the second of the three.

David Peterson

dapeterson@startribune.com