FlintTalk.com Forum Index > Political Talk Topic: LAND BANK FLINT'S BIGGEST SLUM LORD Goto page Previous  1, 2, 3 ... 35, 36, 37, 38, 39  Next

Is The Genesee County Land Bank Flint's Worst Slum Lord? Yes, they have bitten off more than they can chew  17%  [ 6 ] No, they are just trying to take over all the property in Flint.  26%  [ 9 ] RECALL DAN KILDEE - Lets Clean Flint Up.  55%  [ 19 ] Total Votes : 34   Author    Post   Adam F L I N T O I D Link _________________ Adam - Mysearchisover.com - FB - Jobs Sun Jul 01, 2012 2:59 pm  untanglingwebs El Supremo Great video and it illustrates exactly what is happening in Flint. The Land bank refuses to sell properties because of "future development". The Land bank, like the LARA in your video was never meant to be a developer, The Land Bank has aligned themselves with their friends, like Salem Housing and freeze out all others. This is depspite all of the problematic HUD monitoring reviews and ther problems created by Salem Housing. The Land Bank apparently has close to 10,000 parcels in Flint and the City has given up $500,000 to clear some of these properies. I recently saw Land Bank employees using blue Kubota tractors, looking remarkebly like the ones Williamson bought for the city. They still get the pole barn at the Oak Business Center for free, when it once rented for $3,000 a month. There is no real pressure for the Land bank to change and Deb Cherry will never make any changes. Sun Jul 01, 2012 3:19 pm  Adam F L I N T O I D Report: Some lose homes over as little as $400 "The elderly and other vulnerable homeowners are losing their homes because they owe as little as a few hundred dollars in back taxes, according to a report from a consumer group." _________________ Adam - Mysearchisover.com - FB - Jobs Tue Jul 10, 2012 8:21 am  Adam F L I N T O I D Ficano wants to end Wayne County Land Bank County Executive Robert Ficano wants to eliminate the Wayne County Land Bank, which he touted when it was started in 2007 as a tool to rehabilitate vacant and dilapidated properties. Instead, it generated mostly controversy, including a now-defunct horse racing track in Huron Township. Ficano made the proposal -- one of many cost-cutting suggestions -- in his budget released earlier this month. The County Commission is reviewing the plan and would have to sign off. "With plummeting property values over the past few years, the county's property tax collections have dropped more than $100 million, striking a hard blow to the county's general fund," Ficano spokeswoman June West said. "This is a bare-bones budget that is focused on essential and mandated services." The county has poured more than $14.2 million into the Land Bank since 2008, and it received an additional $5 million in federal funds. The idea was to provide incentives to owners to rehabilitate their properties, to sell abandoned property cheaply and to clean up or tear down blighted buildings. Last year, the county's general fund contributed $2.8 million to the Land Bank. But facing a $189-million cumulative deficit, the county can't afford it anymore, said County Commissioner Laura Cox, R-Livonia. "When it was originally proposed, it was supposed to get a little bit of subsidy, but it was supposed to become self-sustaining, and they never got there," she said. "It can't continue." The Free Press reported last year that former chief development officer Turkia Awada Mullin awarded more than $750,000 in no-bid contracts from the Land Bank to politically connected people and firms during her tenure as executive director. Mullin used the Land Bank to spearhead the Pinnacle Race Course development, under which the county sold 320 acres of land in Huron Township for $1. The plan was supposed to generate 2,300 jobs, but an audit last year said shoddy record-keeping by the Land Bank made it impossible to tally the true number of jobs. The track closed in 2010. County Treasurer Raymond Wojtowicz chairs the board that runs the Land Bank corporation. He was critical of Mullin's tenure but said her successor, Janno Hanna, had done a good job. "We do need to stress that the problems we perceive are problems of the past," said David Szymanski, Wojtowicz's deputy. "But with the problems we have, we need to look at mandated services." _________________ Adam - Mysearchisover.com - FB - Jobs Sat Jul 14, 2012 1:30 pm  untanglingwebs El Supremo The Genesee County Land bank has reached a level of politicalization, ineptitude and croneyism that has rendered it a prime candidate for elimination. I have spoken to countless individuals and potential business people who were denied the opportunity to purchase land because the Land Bank stated future development. The Land Bank was not created to be a developer and the auction system by the state allows investors into the system which is what the Land Bank puports they sre stiving to prevent. Dan Kildee, when he was in charge,criticized the nonprofits who were attempting (unsuccessfully) to accumulate large tracts of land for future development when they could not afford this luxury. The Genesee County Land bank is doing the very same thing. They cannot afford the maintenance of this land. They are accumulating huge tracts of land and holding for future purposes. Pastor Flynn of Foss Avenue, in one of his recent speeches, denounced the policies of developing ony downtown and accused officials of once again making the north end gardens and farmland. According to Highsmith, the north end was the last area in Flint to be fully developed. There are secretive land transactions taking place in the Metawanenee area . Individuals attempting to purchase home in this area are being denied and are being told by the Land Bank that all of the land is being held for Salem Housing. salem has houses that have been for sale for at least five years that remain unsold. But Salem has strong political allies, obviously within the land bank too. Even the City of Flint gave them more money for purchase, rehab and resale HUD programs after HUD criticized salem's failures in similar programs and warned the city about this participant. Remember the failed efforts of Salem in the Smith Village area? The media covered the stories of angry homeowners that dealt with Salem and Salem flagrantly broke HUD rules regarding policies and contractors. Sun Jul 15, 2012 9:13 am  untanglingwebs El Supremo Miles Gadola spoke at the Flint Chamber of Commerce luncheon today in Grand Blanc regarding his run for State Reresentative. He declined to comment on his future pollicy issues as a state rep, so he was grilled on his background having been a county commissioner for 10 years. When challenged about Land Bank policies, Gadola said it was a stand alone entity that County Commissioners had nothing to do with. That is odd as there is always four of the nine county commissioners that sit on the board of directors. From the Land bank web site: In addition to the regular staff, the Genesee County Land Bank is governed by a Board of Directors made up of representatives from the Genesee County Board of Commissioners, City of Flint and Flint Township. The current board members are listed below: Land Bank Board of Directors Position Member Name Chairperson Cherry, Deborah Vice-Chairperson Clack, Brenda Secretary Lockwood, Patricia Treasurer Sims, Omar General Member Nolden, Bryant General Member Gleason, Patrick General Member Long, Paul Mon Jul 16, 2012 2:17 pm  00SL2 F L I N T O I D quote: untanglingwebs schreef: Miles Gadola spoke at the Flint Chamber of Commerce luncheon today in Grand Blanc regarding his run for State Reresentative. He declined to comment on his future pollicy issues as a state rep, so he was grilled on his background having been a county commissioner for 10 years. When challenged about Land Bank policies, Gadola said it was a stand alone entity that County Commissioners had nothing to do with. I'd say that calls his credibility into question. Who is his opponent? Mon Jul 16, 2012 6:25 pm  untanglingwebs El Supremo State senators tour Genesee County Land Bank property Posted: Jul 17, 2012 1:46 PM EDT Updated: Jul 17, 2012 5:39 PM EDT By Randy Conat - bio | email GENESEE TOWNSHIP (WJRT) - (07/17/12) - The Genesee County Land Bank's original mission was to put vacant properties back onto the tax rolls. Some state legislators visited the Flint area Tuesday to see how the system works and if the concept would be successful in other communities. Led by Genesee County Treasurer Deb Cherry, lawmakers toured seven locations that had once been tax-foreclosed properties. They learned that in some cases, vacant land can be an used for urban agriculture, like the Harvesting Earth Learning Farm. "I thought it would make sense for them to come down, get a tour of what we're doing and also to learn about some of the problems we're facing. There are certainly some legislation things they could do to help up out," said Deb Cherry, Genesee County Treasurer. Two of the lawmakers once worked with Cherry in the State Senate and now are chairmen of important committees. Cherry says she wants them to see how current Land Bank legislation helps communities. "I'm hoping that as we teach people about what's going on with the Land Bank, they're going to have better understanding of it and more helpful to us in the future," Cherry said. The senators were impressed with the changes made to once-vacant properties like the Durant apartment complex and Flint River Farm. "They're turning property that has sat vacant for many, many years and they're doing some good agriculture stuff, getting all the neighbors involved, getting the community involved. How do you oppose that?" said State Senator Joe Hune, (R) Livingston County. "It really leads us to take a good hard look," said State Senator Mike Kowall (R) Oakland County. Showing 1 comment Ghastly Gary Mike Kowall is owned by Ambassdor Bridge owner Matty Moroun. He needs to take a good hard look at himself. Wed Jul 18, 2012 7:28 am  Adam F L I N T O I D quote: untanglingwebs schreef: State senators tour Genesee County Land Bank property Posted: Jul 17, 2012 1:46 PM EDT Updated: Jul 17, 2012 5:39 PM EDT By Randy Conat - bio | email GENESEE TOWNSHIP (WJRT) - (07/17/12) - The Genesee County Land Bank's original mission was to put vacant properties back onto the tax rolls. Some state legislators visited the Flint area Tuesday to see how the system works and if the concept would be successful in other communities. Led by Genesee County Treasurer Deb Cherry, lawmakers toured seven locations that had once been tax-foreclosed properties. They learned that in some cases, vacant land can be an used for urban agriculture, like the Harvesting Earth Learning Farm. "I thought it would make sense for them to come down, get a tour of what we're doing and also to learn about some of the problems we're facing. There are certainly some legislation things they could do to help up out," said Deb Cherry, Genesee County Treasurer. Two of the lawmakers once worked with Cherry in the State Senate and now are chairmen of important committees. Cherry says she wants them to see how current Land Bank legislation helps communities. "I'm hoping that as we teach people about what's going on with the Land Bank, they're going to have better understanding of it and more helpful to us in the future," Cherry said. The senators were impressed with the changes made to once-vacant properties like the Durant apartment complex and Flint River Farm. "They're turning property that has sat vacant for many, many years and they're doing some good agriculture stuff, getting all the neighbors involved, getting the community involved. How do you oppose that?" said State Senator Joe Hune, (R) Livingston County. "It really leads us to take a good hard look," said State Senator Mike Kowall (R) Oakland County. Showing 1 comment Ghastly Gary Mike Kowall is owned by Ambassdor Bridge owner Matty Moroun. He needs to take a good hard look at himself. Wow! I need to give these guys a real tour. lol _________________ Adam - Mysearchisover.com - FB - Jobs Sat Jul 21, 2012 12:52 pm  Adam F L I N T O I D All of Macomb County's tax foreclosed properties are back on the tax roles. _________________ Adam - Mysearchisover.com - FB - Jobs Mon Aug 06, 2012 3:41 pm  untanglingwebs El Supremo Genesee County Land Bank says they are holding properties for future development. Mon Aug 06, 2012 4:15 pm  Adam F L I N T O I D quote: untanglingwebs schreef: Genesee County Land Bank says they are holding properties for future development. We need those future tax revenues now!!! Tue Aug 07, 2012 5:10 pm  Adam F L I N T O I D Kent County Taxpayers Question Land (Theft) Bank Tue Aug 07, 2012 5:13 pm  untanglingwebs El Supremo Kent County Taxpayers Question Land Bank Posted by Audrey Spalding on August 3, 2012 at 2:10pm No one likes to see a building sit vacant. Vacant buildings deteriorate, can invite vandalism and discourage those considering moving to a neighborhood. If a building is tax delinquent for a number of years, it can be taken by county government, which then takes up the expensive task of maintaining the property until someone purchases it. So it is surprising to see that before its upcoming tax auction Kent County acted directly to keep vacant properties from being sold to private individuals. On July 12, the Kent County Board of Commissioners voted to hand more than 40 properties over to the Kent County Land Bank to prohibit private individuals from bidding on those properties first. Moreover, that came at the expense of taxpayers: The Kent County Taxpayers Alliance reports that the land bank spent nearly $500,000 to buy those properties. Though the ostensible purpose of land banking, which has exploded in Michigan in recent years, is to revitalize neighborhoods beset by vacancy, Michigan land banks have broad powers that can be misused and abused. Land banks have the ability to borrow money, hold vacant property indefinitely, funnel tax dollars toward chosen projects, and, as highlighted in Kent County, the ability to circumvent the tax auction process. The only reason a land bank would need to circumvent the tax auction process is if someone wanted to purchase the properties in question. This makes the county and land bank's action doubly insulting: Taxpayer dollars are being used to thwart the sale of vacant property to people who hoped to do something productive. While government land banking is relatively new in Michigan, the state of Missouri has a much longer history with the practice. A review of the St. Louis land bank's practices found that the 40-year-old land bank had a history of rejecting legitimate offers and allowing elected officials oversized influence over who could buy property . These practices have not led to success. The St. Louis land bank has amassed more than 10,000 properties since its inception. Sadly, Kent County seems to be mimicking some of the same operational problems observed in the St. Louis land bank. In May, MLive published the list of properties the land bank hoped to acquire and the land bank staff's comments justifying the acquisition. The staff comments below are excellent examples of land use control by ownership and prioritizing increased land bank revenue over private entrepreneurship. Land use control by ownership: 1007 E. FULTON: “Beat Goes On” record shop. Staff comments: Good example of what the Land Bank can do to keep undesirable business out of neighborhoods. Party store wanted to move in. Prioritizing land bank revenue over private entrepreneurship: 2796 64TH STREET SW: Staff comments: Near bike trail, hot area. Revenue from this project will go a long way to help fund the Land Bank. The Kent County Taxpayers Alliance has rightly called out the land bank's actions as "crony government gone wild." The alliance has put together a radio ad decrying the move, and an informational issues page. Regardless of the land bank's motivations in this case, the powers it flexed in July have the potential to be greatly abused. The Michigan Legislature acted foolishly when it gave such broad powers to land banks. Hopefully, work by groups like Kent County Taxpayers Alliance will at least bring some transparency to actions that have little to do with protecting taxpayers and end up hindering private development. Tue Aug 07, 2012 7:11 pm  untanglingwebs El Supremo Excellent article Adam as it highlights many of the abuses the Genesee County land bank is committing! Tue Aug 07, 2012 7:12 pm    Display posts from previous:   All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First

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