New white paper by the Greater Ohio Policy Center examines over $270 million awarded through September 2022 allocated towards the clean up 115 sites and to support 74 assessments.
“The anticipated end uses for the remediated sites are impressive, including: affordable housing, riverfront recreation space, a job training center, and new industrial sites.
The white paper also makes the case for allocating another $500 million to the program and recommends one adjustment to help communities, especially smaller and more rural communities, successfully compete for funds.”
For more information, please click here
An informative and interactive map showing the location of the sites with a selection of case studies is available by clicking here.
Recent article from Baltimore discusses the status of Ordinance 22-0204 “which would fine property owners for extensive and repeated 311 service calls and or emergency calls.”
For more information, please click on the following links;
WMAR: Baltimore City Council hears bill to charge vacant property owners for excessive 311 calls to fight blight
WMAR: Proposed bill aimed to fight blight paused after concerns about execution
In its newest publication, the Center for Community Progress “lays a general foundation for understanding the property tax system, but specifically focuses on ways to reform the delinquent property tax enforcement process for vacant properties—those properties that pose the greatest harm to a community.”
According to the report;
In general, the property tax system has six major stages:
- Determine the value of the property
- Establish the rate of taxation
- Determine if property is subject to tax
- Apply applicable tax relief and determine the tax bill
- Collect the tax
- Enforce delinquent taxes
While this publication does not focus on occupied properties, it provides some examples of supports for financially insecure occupants to examine, such as:
- Ensuring property value assessments are accurate
- Providing homestead exemptions to owner occupants, and rebates or credits for financially insecure households to reduce property tax burden
- Ensuring application processes for relief programs are not burdensome, providing application assistance, and driving multi-faceted public awareness campaigns
- Offering many payment options such as monthly payments, cash payment, and payment at community locations
Among the recommendations local governments can take to build momentum:
- Expediting the time frame for vacant properties first. For example, shortening the time period from delinquency to foreclosure only for vacant properties.
- Ending tax lien sales for vacant properties and instead pursuing an in rem foreclosure action to bring the distressed property under local control.
- Adding abatement costs to the tax bill ensuring that the costs the government incurred from mowing grass, boarding a property, removing trash, and other services are recorded as a lien against the property and added to the minimum cost private buyers must pay at tax sale.
- Eliminating post-tax sale redemption periods will ensure the local government expends resources to move the property through foreclosure only if and after the owner fails to redeem. This also provides more certainty to private buyers at tax sale.
- Reforming noticing provisions to ensure insurable title by providing constitutionally adequate notice and reducing the need for costly quiet title actions after tax sales.
To access the full report, please click here.
A recent article in Governing (originally in Stateline/Pew) discusses judicial and legislative efforts in several states to address cases of homeowners losing “not only their houses but also years of mortgage payments if they fail to pay their property taxes” along with the reasoning and value of tax foreclosures and tax-lien sales.
In addition to discussing legislation in Massachusetts, Washington DC and Maryland, the article references the potential of the U.S. Supreme Court taking up the issue.
To view the article, please click here.
MuniReg is proud to share the sentiments of countless communities across the country in acknowledging the efforts and contributions of the thousands of code enforcement officers.
Please find below for the proclamation from the American Association of Code Enforcement (AACE).
MuniReg wishes all members of the code enforcement family continued success, continued growth in the understanding of the value you bring to your respective communities, and continued good health and being safe!
2022 October National Code Compliance Month Proclamation signed