It’s refreshing to see the aggressive actions taken by Warren’s building department in referring problem properties to the town’s newly-formed Housing Court. The court meets Wednesday evening to decide the fate of a dozen property owners with derelict, overgrown and flat-out messy properties.

These owners have all resisted the town’s continued attempts to get them to clean up their messes, sometimes for years.

But with little teeth to compel owners to be good neighbors, the town’s actions to this point could only accomplish so much. That will likely change following Wednesday’s session, as the court has powerful new tools, including the threat of receivership, to use in compelling property owners to finally take real responsibility for their messes.

The town’s actions are long overdue, and a continued trend of effective enforcement will serve not just to clean up these properties, but prevent future blights from occurring. Warren is a beautiful town, with top notch architecture, quiet neighborhoods and peaceful rural settings. If the word’s not out yet, it soon will be that Warren expects its property owners to be good neighbors.