PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh plans to crack down on graffiti vandals -- as well as property owners and stores that sell art supplies -- with tougher fines that were approved on Tuesday morning.

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After a 7-0 vote by City Council, fines will range from $250 to $1,400 for each case, depending on how severe the graffiti is.

Also, businesses that sell spray paints, markers and etching acids will be required to keep those items within sight of an employee, or conceal them from the public and make them available only on request.

In addition, once the city notifies a property owner that a building has graffiti on it, the owner has 10 days to remove it or face a $250 fine.

"Hopefully, one of the best ways we can solve the problem of graffiti is to eradicate it completely, remove it entirely and keep the tagger from coming back," said Councilman Bruce Kraus, who sponsored the bill. "And if we can have these small successes, one after another after another, we can eventually eliminate it from the city."

Graffiti victim Dale Middleman said he is out more than $1,000 after someone tagged his business.

"We're going to find a slow time or overtime on a Saturday to have them paint this, repaint it for us, and that costs money," said Middleman.

"The fines did not change," said Kraus. "The fine has always been $250. But what we did do is provide a clause for financial hardship that if you show for financial hardship, the city is willing to clean the graffiti for you."

Another business owner said he has been hit by graffiti taggers three times in the last 10 years. He said cleaning up the mess deters vandals.

"Just instantaneously, clean up makes all the difference in the world, because it dampers the desire of the perps," said victim Rick Landesberg. "When you have graffiti, it only invites more graffiti."

But Middleman said the victim shouldn't be a target twice. He said if the city targets private owners, they need to go after federal and county buildings as well.

"Why do they expect the retailer -- actually, we're more wholesale than retail -- to do it?" said Middleman.

Fines collected from graffiti cases will go to a fund that can be used by communities or groups who try to get rid of graffiti.

"I believe Graffiti Busters is budgeted at $350,000 a year to clean," Pittsburgh Police Detective Frank Rende said last week. "People always say, 'I got my house or my building cleaned for free.' I tell them, 'That's your tax money. You're not getting that for free.'"

Tuesday's vote came less than two weeks after Daniel Montano pleaded guilty to 80 counts of graffiti vandalism, prompting a tagging spree in uptown and Lawrenceville. Montano is awaiting a judge's decision on his sentence.

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