TEMECULA -- The "witching hour" for foreclosures, as described by City Councilwoman Maryann Edwards, is the period from when buyers abandon the home they can't afford to when the lender repossesses the house -- a process that often takes months.

It is a state of ownership limbo that has cursed numerous neighborhoods in Temecula as it turns green lawns brown and clear pools into cauldrons of algae and goop.

On Tuesday, 25 property managers and homeowner association members gathered at City Hall to share their experiences and suggest ways to ease the effects foreclosures are having on the city.

After nearly two hours of discussion, it was clear that breaking the spell that is bringing blight and threatening safety won't be easy.

"There are so many forks in this road as we try to find a solution," Edwards said. "But in our discussions, we always end up at the same place of understanding: We need to follow the law. We're dealing with private property, and those owners have rights."

Edwards has been working for months with city analysts to compose an ordinance that could provide a new tool in the city's code enforcement arsenal, particularly as more homes begin to show signs of decay with putrifying pools, dying lawns, broken windows and tall weeds.

Besides adding blight, those eyesores can become signals for those seeking a home to vandalize, hide out in or burgle.

But before the proposal is made final, Edwards sought the input of those who are seeing -- en masse -- the toll that months of vacancies are having on the neighborhoods.

City officials envision creating a registry to track empty homes and to find the lenders who are responsible for the properties after the buyer walks away. The proposal would require lenders to maintain the exteriors and secure the properties, or hire management companies to do the work for them.

It is intended that the ordinance will come before the Temecula City Council on May 27. A follow-up workshop is scheduled for 10 a.m. June 5 at City Hall to review the proposal.

"Are we going to be able to solve every problem? No," Edwards said. "Are we going to be able to restore the ideal of white picket fences and flowers? No. But what we can do is maintain these houses."

Sheryl Whitaker with Avalon Management said one of the largest obstacles property managers face is determining who is responsible for a home in the period before the title transfers to the lender.

"My concern with an ordinance is, how much teeth will it really have?" she asked. "If code enforcement is already doing everything they can, as (Edwards) stated, then what is going to make these lenders pay any more attention to these issues than they already are?"

She suggested massive fines.

"There is a lot of liability with getting involved with other people's property, which is why associations are waiting for the city to help out. I lived though the last downturn, but this cycle is the worst I've ever seen," Whitaker said of the housing market. "It just hurts."

One of the most common questions at the workshop was what could be done about pools. The city can have the pools treated to get rid of mosquitos. In addition, code enforcement officers can place a barrier around a pool to keep children from wandering into them.

However, many property managers want to see pools on abandoned properties drained.

"As for the concern that pools may crack if we drain them, I don't even care," said Harry Garnett, president of the Redhawk Homeowners Association. "We have a real safety issue to deal with."

Garnett said that, of the approximately 3,000 homes in the association, roughly 50 are abandoned.

"I think this ordinance is a great idea, but we should have been talking about it three or four months ago," he said. "We didn't think it would get this bad, and now we don't think we've seen the bottom of this. It's only going to get worse."

Dale Qualm, of the Vintage Hills Homeowners Association, said safety and aesthetic issues go hand in hand. He said of the 834 homes in his neighborhood, four have been abandoned.

"When the lawns start going brown, people know right away that the homes are abandoned," Qualm said. "That welcomes vandals to break into the houses, rip out copper pipes and fixtures, and destroy the interiors. The lawns lead to more problems."

But a question on the minds of many was who will pay for the costs of yard maintenance. Using city funds could be construed as a gift of public funds, and many homeowners associations can't afford the expense.

Debra Thomas, president of the Meadowview Home Owners Association said, because of fewer assessments being paid, many associations have less money coming in for community improvements.

She said it is evident that the number of foreclosures is increasing among the 900 homes in Meadowview, and "it's getting worse."

"Let's get the safety issues handled, and the aesthetics will come into place," said Thomas.

Contact staff writer Nicole Sack at (951) 676-4315, Ext. 2616, or nsack@californian.com.