Aiming to keep Agoura Hills clean, the City Council voted unanimously Wednesday night to speed up the time frame for private property owners to remove graffiti.

The council approved a revision to the existing Graffiti Prevention and Removal Ordinance that will shorten the time allowed for a property owner to act. Instead of the current 44 days, an owner will have five days from the day the notice to remove graffiti is mailed.

No actual legal action would begin until a minimum of 12 days have passed, and officials said additional leeway may be offered for those who were on vacation or have a similar reason for needing more time to respond.

The vote was 3-0, with Mayor Dan Kuperberg and Councilmembers Harry Schwarz and William Koehler voting in favor of the change. Members John Edelston and Denis Weber were absent.

"Some people think graffiti is an art form, but I happen to think it creates an ugliness," Schwarz said. "The faster we can get it off, the less gratification for the artist. I think the city is doing a great job in working toward removing it as fast as possible."

The city will keep about a dozen of the most common paint colors in stock for use by property owners as well as brushes and rollers if they wish to do their own work.

The city also will also offer access to fixed rates with approved painting contractors who will respond to requests within 24 hours.

"The idea is that property owners won't have to go out and try to get three or four bids and search for the right contractor. They can go about their own business of their lives. We're trying to make that easier for them," said Assistant City Manager Nathan Hamburger.

"We have a budget for fiscal year 2007 of approximately $7,500 to kick-start this program," Hamburger said.

"We can work with people," Kuperberg said. "This is not going to be a Gestapo mentality. I'm confident staff will handle it properly and I think it's a great idea. We're trying to be pro-active in our approach."

The proposal can take effect after the council votes on it a second time, which is scheduled on Sept. 26.

There were no public comments from community residents in attendance at the meeting Wednesday night.