Schenectady's City Council voted to move some city owned property off the tax rolls. Erin Vannella has more.

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SCHENECTADY, N.Y. -- Some abandoned buildings will no longer be a burden to tax payers in Schenectady.

The City Council voted to transfer some city owned property over to the Schenectady Urban Renewal Agency, giving the properties a tax exempt status. The new status could, according to council members, save thousands of dollars per property and allow the city more control.

"In making sure that property is maintained and boarded up properly so people don't go into the house when they shouldn't be there or neighbors could probably feel a lot safer around that knowing that there is somebody else watching this piece of property," Schenectady City Councilor Denise Brucker said.

The next step is knocking down the properties. Council members say they have money in the budget to cover the demolition.