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Topic: LAND BANK FLINT'S BIGGEST SLUM LORD
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Is The Genesee County Land Bank Flint's Worst Slum Lord?
Yes, they have bitten off more than they can chew
17%
 17%  [ 6 ]
No, they are just trying to take over all the property in Flint.
26%
 26%  [ 9 ]
RECALL DAN KILDEE - Lets Clean Flint Up.
55%
 55%  [ 19 ]
Total Votes : 34

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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

At a recent meeting Gadola tried to distance the County Commissioners from the land bank. In fact four commissioners sit on the Land bank board of directors and the commissioners select the other board members.

The GCLB has amassed more properties in ten years than St Louis did in forty. They turn down offers to sell properties, try to manipulate properties in huge bundles to discourage investors, and want to change the law to stop auctions.

Meanwhile the land Bank is usingthe Oak business center and not paying rent on a piece of property that once rented for $3,000 a month. The Kubota and New Holland tractors owned by the city for maintaing properties are being used by the land Bank aare other equipment once used by city employees. word is they have not been properly maintained. Meanwhile federal grant money from the city and county dollars are subsidizing the maintenance of these properties owned by the land bank.

Past unpaid fines for blight enforcement of private properties ia added to the property liens and raises the cost of these properties. Unpaid water bills in excess, sometimes in the thousands of dollars, of the ordinance limits were also added to the property liens. The result is exorbitants costs for trashed properties when someone wants to buy.
Post Tue Aug 07, 2012 7:42 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Nearly all of Flint is considered a "brownfield".But when the Land bank develops land declared as Brownfields, they keep the taxes for 30 years. This is irregardless of any profit they may have realized by using federal grants to rehab the properties.

Also while it seems a blessing to use federal money to demolish homes, the cost of demolition is added to the the property as a lien.

The city cannot force the land bank to maintain properties as they are exempt. If the county refuses to givre them funding and the city has no more CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) monies, how will the clean ups be accomplished?

More foreclosures are in the pipeline. Banks don't want to maintain foreclosed homes and try to give them to the Land Bank. In the final analysis how much of Flint will be owned by Genesee County through the land bank?

Will this change of control over Flint land lead to urban renewal and gentrification as many community leaders fear?
Post Tue Aug 07, 2012 7:51 pm 
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aspalding
F L I N T O I D

Hi, this is Audrey Spalding from the Mackinac Center. I wrote the "Kent County Taxpayers Question Land Bank" article, and put together the video about the LRA (St. Louis land bank) posted earlier when I was working for the Show-Me Institute.

I'm located in Midland, and would like to write more about Michigan land banks. I am especially interested in cases where land banks have refused to sell property.

If anyone on this thread would like to reach me (or meet, I'm close to Flint), my email address is: spalding (at) mackinac (dot) org.

--Audrey
Post Wed Aug 08, 2012 10:34 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

If anyone knows who the gentleman is that wanted to buy Land bank properties for an Urban farm please have him contact Audrey.
Post Wed Aug 08, 2012 12:47 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Rev Flynn once said the City wanted to return the north end to farming. With all of the land owned by the Land Bank in the north end, that may not be a fantasy. The Land bank will play a major role in deciding what happens to our community.


FROM THE SIXTH YEAR CAPER FOR THE CITY OF FLINT:

On March 1, 2011, the City of Flint was awarded a $1,570,233 Department of Housing
and Urban Development, Office of Sustainable Communities and Housing, Community
Challenge Planning grant to develop a Master Plan for the city. Community
organizations pledged $1,338,834 in match funding, a requirement of the grant request.
The total budget for the project is $2,906,428. The City of Flint has convened a
Planning Team consisting of planners from The C. S. Mot Foundation, Genesee Regional
Chamber of Commerce and the Genesee County Landbank.
These local stakeholders
contribute staff time to the planning process in the absence of a Planning division for the
City of Flint. A request for qualifications was release and 12 national and local firms
submitted qualifications. Seven firms were contacted to respond to a Request for
Proposal to provide general planning consultation services. The team has also collected
local plans developed by community organizations and stakeholders. Currently, they are
identifying the unique data sets that need to be collected for analysis. A Steering
Committee has been selected by the Planning Commission, City Council and the
Administration. Once the planning consultant is on board, we will begin the process of
developing a community engagement strategy.
Forestry
The
Post Wed Aug 08, 2012 12:50 pm 
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Adam
F L I N T O I D

quote:
untanglingwebs schreef:
Look at the Land Bank closely as they are part of the plan to depopulste Flint. raynetta Speed agreed they are holding land for future redevelopment. However when people try to buy this land, such as the man who wanted numerous parcels for an urban farm, they are denied the right to do so. He was told he could farm but not own the land.

They now own about 1/3 of Flint parcels and will own more. About 10 to 15 years ago there were activists warning this would happen. Flint officials helped inflate the redemption costs when they sent high water bills (that should have been shut off at $300) over to the county as liens on the properties, instead of actively collecting unpaid water fees. Leins for cutting grass too are added to the tax bill. As a result the cost of purchasing a condemned house or a city lot can run well over $10,000.

They give nonprofits priority in purchasing these properties. However the Land Bank plays favorites and ignores their rules about not selling to nonprofits who owe taxes. The City ignores these rules too as evidenced by the recent grant given to salem Housing, who had a HUD report about their inability to sell refurbished homes. They are rewarded by having more homes to refurbish and not sell.

_________________
Adam - Mysearchisover.com - FB - Jobs
Post Thu Aug 09, 2012 9:20 am 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

From the Daily: Land bank goes bankrupt
Print | E-mail | Letter to the editor

BY THE MICHIGAN DAILY

Published March 21, 2010

The FDIC won't be involved in the failure of one Washtenaw County bank. This bank didn’t deal in cash — it dealt in acres. In July of 2009, facing a wave of foreclosures that started in 2007, the Washtenaw County commissioners created the Washtenaw County Land Bank. The county-run land bank could have helped to eliminate urban blight and put vacant property to good use for the community. Unfortunately, Washtenaw County abandoned this promising program before its benefits could be realized, citing insufficient funding and differences between officials in charge. But county officials shouldn’t have given up so easily — they should renew their efforts to find funding for the land bank and restart this valuable project.

The recently-dissolved Washtenaw County Land Bank authority was modeled after the nationally-lauded land bank in Genesee County. The Wastenaw County Land Bank was intended to acquire properties, determine the best use of each property and then sell the property to a private owner. The establishment of the bank occurred just in time to qualify it for $300,000 in federal stimulus funds, which were meant to serve as start-up capital for the project. The land bank was intended to become self-sustaining. On Mar. 17, the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners voted to dissolve the land bank. According to a Mar. 18 AnnArbor.com report, commissioners said that the authority’s failure to present a clear strategy, as well as a lack of funding, led to their decision.

It’s unfortunate that the land bank was dissolved before it could make any real progress. The land bank could have given Washtenaw County the face-lift it needs to restart the floundering real estate market here and to increase the prosperity of the county. Rundown homes decrease the value of surrounding properties. Sprucing up deteriorating properties would have helped increase community property values.

And the foreclosed land available to the land bank could have been used for a number of important projects. The properties would have been sold specifically to benefit the community as a whole, like low-income housing, environmentally-friendly offices and other beneficial projects. Without the land bank, there is no way to ensure that developments will benefit the city as a whole — if they happen at all.

Admittedly, the authority didn’t receive a $5 million Neighborhood Stabilization grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — that’s a legitimate stumbling block. But it’s upsetting that county officials simply gave up after encountering this obstacle. They should have redoubled their efforts to find alternative funding for the project.

And it’s even more upsetting that county officials couldn’t work together to create a solid plan for the bank. With an effective example like the Genesee County Land Bank to follow, it’s unacceptable that Washtenaw County officials are unable to come to an agreement about the details of the bank. They dropped the ball. And now Washtenaw County residents will pay the price.

The land bank could have been a valuable resource for the county, and it shouldn’t have been abandoned so quickly. County officials should work together to find a middle ground and the funding needed to resurrect the land bank.
Post Fri Aug 10, 2012 5:47 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

These failures sound like the Genesee County Land bank-always holding land for future development and controlled by the county commission/





A news service for the people of Michigan from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy

Land Banking: An Old Idea With A Poor Track Record

March 22, 2012

Audrey Spalding

In Michigan, land banking is new. But in Missouri, it has a long and sordid history.

More than 40 years ago, Saint Louis City set up a land bank in response to the exodus of its residents, and the vacant property they left behind. When the land bank was created in 1972, the hope was that it could return vacant property back to private, productive use.

Since that time, the Saint Louis land bank has amassed more than 10,000 parcels of vacant land, making it the largest landholder in Saint Louis City. My research into the operations of the land bank found that it rejects almost one out of every two formal offers to buy vacant city property. The most frequent reason for rejection is that the property is being “held for future development.” Sadly, the future development rarely materializes.

More troubling is the outsize power that some city officials appear to have over the operations of the Saint Louis land bank. In some cases, Saint Louis aldermen determine who can and cannot buy property. I do not have to detail here what pitfalls can arise when local officials have the ultimate say over development decisions, or worse, basic property rights.
Consider the case of 2925 Union, a property in Saint Louis that received four offers from four different buyers. The Saint Louis land bank said no to all four. When the area alderman showed up at a land bank meeting and told the land bank to sell the property to another buyer, it did.

Despite the 40-year track record of failure that we have seen in Saint Louis, land banking is in vogue again. More than 30 land banks have been created in Michigan, due in part to efforts of the Center for Community Progress (CCP), a nonprofit that has offices in Flint and in Washington, D.C. The nonprofit has advocated for the creation of land banks across the country, and receives significant funding from Fannie Mae .

Dan Kildee, the president of CCP and a Michigan Congressional candidate, regularly travels throughout the U.S. arguing in favor of expansive land bank legislation. Most recently, he has been quoted in Missouri newspapers arguing for the creation of a land bank in our other major city — Kansas City.

Selling the concept of land banking in a state that is already marred by land banking failure would be a tragedy.

CCP has advocated for land bank legislation in New York, Pennsylvania, and in Georgia.

Some states have not been convinced that land banking is a cure-all for vacancy. In 2010, the Illinois Legislature rejected land bank legislation that CCP supported, due in part to concerns that the legislation would allow land banks to acquire property at any time and by virtually any means, and to take on tremendous debt. The Illinois Association of Realtors called the bill an “unchecked, unnecessary, and irresponsible grant of power.”

I have heard promises from lobbyists and advocates that the new era of land banking will be different. But, I wonder if they would continue to hold that position if they heard the stories of rejection that I have heard from neighborhood groups, and during the Saint Louis land bank’s public meetings. These are the struggles that arise long-term, when the starry-eyed advocates who promise accountability have moved on, but the land bank and its entrenched bureaucracy remain.

Given the numerous land banks already created throughout the state, I hope that land banking in Michigan is more successful than it has been in Missouri. But for the sake of Missouri, I hope that we can learn from the decades of land banking failure in our own backyard.

Audrey Spalding is a policy analyst at the Show-Me Institute, which promotes market solutions for Missouri public policy.
Post Fri Aug 10, 2012 5:56 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

I sincerely would like to see the success Kildee talks about in Flint created by the Genesee County land bank! The land Bank owns more of Flint every year and there is no end in sight. Where are these thousands of properties sold and how many are in Flint.

The ordinances Kildee is citing shoild apply to the land bank as well. The land Bank does not have the resources to maintain these properties so Flint pitches in. Their properties are not boarded up, are gutted out and vandalized. When federal money is used to demolish homes, the liens are placed on the properties. Currently, Mike Brown passed a resolution that all NSP money for demolition will be used according to the wishes of the land bank.

If Kildee is counting on his successful Land Bank as a vehicle for his election to his uncles former congressional seat, I wish him ill will. As one can see by the number of posts, most do not believe the Land bank is a success/






From Huffington Post Business

Dan Kildee.

Co-founder and president, Community Progress



Ending Land Speculation That Drives Blight: Change the System, Change the Players

Posted: 03/ 8/2012 12:05 pm


While housing and community activists have long intuited that well-financed "vacant property speculators" were wreaking havoc in their communities -- driving down prices, prolonging vacancies and spreading blight -- a new study by the Cleveland Fed both substantiates their suspicions and opens up the discussion about thoughtful solutions.

The Cleveland Fed's study documents that the majority of vacant homes that are bought from private owners or at tax sales by individuals or small operators are eventually bought and their taxes paid. On the other hand, properties bought by "speculators" -- those who make a business of buying and flipping vacant homes -- much more frequently remain vacant, unmaintained and tax delinquent, causing distress and blight for neighbors and governments alike.

In a study of vacant properties sold in Cuyahoga County between 2007 and 2010, the Fed found that only 15% of the properties bought by individuals remained vacant in 2010 -- but a full 31% of those properties bought by large-scale investors remained vacant. More distressing is the fact that while the delinquent taxes on properties bought by individuals almost always get paid, professional 'flippers' resolved tax delinquency on only 13% of their properties resolved their tax delinquency -- extending the period of time in which government loses revenue and houses stand vacant.

While the 'evil-doers' may be the large land speculators, the Cleveland Fed points out that it is the system of property transfers itself that is fundamentally at fault and that must be fixed. Today, there is no "downside" or cost to large-scale speculation. In most locales -- and especially in very depressed housing markets -- so-called "investors" can purchase property for as little as a few hundred dollars and sell this property to a third party for hundreds or thousands of dollars more, in a sale that is recorded as legitimate by the relevant county -- without any requirement that the seller/speculator pay past due taxes or maintained the property to even minimum standards. In rare instances, the third party buyer who finds that he or she owes thousands of dollars in delinquent taxes actually pays up -- but all too often the buyer simply walks away. For speculators, it's a great system -- they have little risk, no responsibility and the potential of great reward.

However, for those of us concerned with the well-being of our communities and the sustainability of our local governments, there is great risk and changing the system is a necessity. The Cleveland Fed suggests two paths of action -- both of which the Center for Community Progress has long championed. They call for changes in state laws that require payment of all delinquent taxes and liens BEFORE a property transfer can be completed and certified by the various County Recorders of Deed. This makes obvious sense -- it would encourage legitimate buyers and discourage quick-buck speculators, since they would have to pay up before getting paid off.

The Fed also suggests creating and utilizing land banks -- locally managed entities to which property buyers or owners could relinquish properties that they cannot financially support -- ensuring that the property can then be positioned for productive reuse by a responsible party. The land bank in Cuyahoga County and the one I established in Genesee County Michigan already play that role, and have restored thousands of properties to productive use -- and up-to-date tax payments.

In addition, I would counsel the replication of ordinances such as those recently passed in Illinois, both by the City of Chicago and the Cook County Board of Commissioners. These ordinances, like those in place in communities across the country, require that any purchaser, owner or servicer of a vacant property register that property and take responsibility for the property's maintenance, security, taxes and insurance -- creating a cost to the neglect that typically accompanies irresponsible speculation where there was none before .

If we are going to make progress in stabilizing neighborhoods and rebuilding the housing market, we cannot allow reckless and often willfully irresponsible speculation to continue -- with short-term profiteers ditching their maintenance expenses on taxpayers while they reap the profits of a system that falls short in encouraging responsible re-use. By reforming the process of land sales for distressed properties, by holding owners and mortgagees accountable for the condition of their abandoned houses, and by creating land banks as an alternative to low-end speculation, America's cities and towns may not be able to stop greed and unethical speculation, but at least those who prey on weak markets won't have an ally in City Hall.

Dan Kildee is President of the Center for Community Progress and the former Treasure of Genesee County Michigan where he initiated one of the country's first and most effective land banks.
Post Fri Aug 10, 2012 6:16 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Lanny Valentine and others would like to see some action on this measure before the November election.




Analysis: Genesee County Land Bank Threatens Private Property Rights

By Russ Harding | Aug. 5, 2010

A fundamental debate is occurring throughout America regarding who is best able to make decisions regarding the use of property — individuals in a free market or government officials. Nowhere is this debate more prominent than through local zoning and planning controls often referred to as "smart growth."

Genesee County has taken government control of private property to a whole new level with the Land Bank; a centerpiece of the Genesee County Urban Land Redevelopment Initiative. Utilizing the legal authority of PA 123 of 1999, which makes it easier for local government to obtain tax reverted property, county officials have aggressively moved to acquire tax- foreclosed properties. According to an investigation by Cathy Shafran of WJRT in Flint, the Land Bank is now responsible for more than 7,000 properties, including 2,300 abandoned homes.

Private ownership of property has been a mainstay of the American political and economic system since the founding of the country. Private property rights are guaranteed in both the U.S. and Michigan Constitutions. Americans have been traditionally supportive of government ownership of property when it serves a public purpose such as a school, highway or park. The Genesee County Land Bank, however, seems to go well beyond the traditional purposes of government ownership of property. The county is in effect acting as a real estate agent and landlord. Some have accused the county of being a slum landlord due to the blighted condition of much of the property y in the Land Bank.

According to former Genesee Country Treasurer Dan Kildee, "With funding from the C.S. Mott Foundation, Genesee County engaged a local consulting team and a number of national partners in developing a more creative approach to use tax foreclosures as a community development tool. .....The (Land Bank) is funded with proceeds from the tax foreclosure process, and allows the county to acquire land through foreclosure and determine the best use of land with the community's needs in mind...." Kildee's statement appears to indicate the primary reason for the Land Bank is to remake the community to conform to the county's official land use vision.

The very existence of the Land Bank sends a chilling message to property owners as well as potential real estate investors. County officials have a free reign to implement their utopian vision of smart growth land use policy through the Land Bank. It is not hard to imagine the removal or relocation of entire neighborhoods "with the community's needs in mind."

Flint is undergoing hard times. The city has lost more than 60,000 jobs and approximately half of its peak population in recent decades The Land Bank, however, will not help to reverse the decline of the city but instead will serve as a barrier to the private investment necessary to revitalization. The last thing potential investors want is uncertainty. Unfortunately the Land Bank provides much uncertainty as the private sector is susceptible to the land use planning whims of county officials. Although the Land Bank may be well intentioned as with many government programs it causes more problems than it solves and it should be dissolved.
#####

Russ Harding is director of the Property Rights Network at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a research and educational institute headquartered in Midland, Mich. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author and the Center are properly cited.
Post Mon Aug 27, 2012 10:33 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Lanny Valentine
Dan Kildee was in charge of this when his uncle Dale wisked him off to Washington to get away from answering embarrissing questions, where is the press from genesee county on this one? Lets have a grand jury on this now before he gets to Washington to cover it up, he had John Cherry in Lansing covering for him, now Johns wife will be going for a house seat, her name is Pam Faris, she would not run under Cherry, why? The Cherrys and Kildees are in the Landbank up to their necks.








Analysis: Genesee County Land Bank Threatens Private Property Rights
www.michigancapitolconfidential.com
County land banks threaten private property rights
Post Mon Aug 27, 2012 10:36 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Yesterdays Flint Journal had an ad for demolition work requested by the Genesee County Land Bank as the project manager for Smith Village. Interesting!
Post Sat Sep 01, 2012 4:47 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

CapCom Michigan Capital Confidential


County Blocks Private Citizens From Purchasing Home; Buys The Property Itself

Sale proceeds could be used to fund Kent County Land Bank Authority's operations

By Tom Gantert | Sept. 25, 2012 | Follow Tom Gantert on Twitter


5076 Montauk Drive, in Alpine Township. The property was acquired by the Kent County Land Bank for $10,448.28. Photo by Rusty Richter.

The Kent County government blocked private citizens who had interest in buying an abandoned house and purchased the property itself so the county could then re-sell it for an estimated $100,000 profit.

And a county official said it was all legal.

The house in Alpine Township was designated as "blighted" and before it was offered to realtors or others who might have been interested in the property, the Kent County Land Bank Authority acquired it for $10,448.28.

"It is true that from the outside, this house looks to be in good shape," said Kent County Treasurer Ken Parrish, who also serves as chair of the land bank authority. "However, the interior required a significant amount of work to be done. More importantly, blight can be viewed in many different ways. Certainly buildings that are falling down can be viewed as blight. But so can properties that for other reasons drive down the value of properties around it, such as abandoned property as this one was."

Parrish said the county will invest tens of thousands of dollars in improvements in the house and then re-sell the property.

"It should serve as a sales comparable that will support increases in value of all of the neighborhood," Parrish said in an email. "That's good for the neighborhood, and also good for the county, as increased property values lead to increases in tax revenue."

But comments published on a news website by what was reported as "land bank staff" suggest that the county was interested in turning a profit on the property to help fund its own operations.

That raises questions about how fair it was for the county to take the property off the auction block where private citizens could have bid on it.

Realtor Rusty Richter said he was interested in buying the property at the auction and does not believe the property is blighted.

But Parrish said the law provides the county the right to take properties off the auction block — and buy the property itself.


"[A]ll the statutes were followed," Parrish said.

According to an MLive story, the land bank staff comments on 5076 Montauk Drive NE were: "Staff comments: Nice Home-Big mistake by City Financial. Revenue from this project will go a long way to help fund the Land Bank."

County records show that $10,440 was owed in taxes. The property's development cost was set at $57,267 and the county estimated it could make $97,733 profit on the sale.

" We all want vacant property to be purchased and rehabbed," said Audrey Spalding, a land bank expert who works at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy. "Realtors say that buyers were lined up for that house. And yet, the Kent County Land Bank got in the way. The land bank's listed reason for acquiring 5076 Montauk was to acquire funding for itself.

" The concern should be getting vacant property back into productive use, not funding a new government land bank."
~~~~
Post Tue Sep 25, 2012 1:18 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

CAP CON Michian Capital Confidential

Analysis: Genesee County Land Bank Threatens Private Property Rights

By Russ Harding | Aug. 5, 2010 |

A fundamental debate is occurring throughout America regarding who is best able to make decisions regarding the use of property — individuals in a free market or government officials. Nowhere is this debate more prominent than through local zoning and planning controls often referred to as "smart growth."

Genesee County has taken government control of private property to a whole new level with the Land Bank; a centerpiece of the Genesee County Urban Land Redevelopment Initiative. Utilizing the legal authority of PA 123 of 1999, which makes it easier for local government to obtain tax reverted property, county officials have aggressively moved to acquire tax- foreclosed properties. According to an investigation by Cathy Shafran of WJRT in Flint, the Land Bank is now responsible for more than 7,000 properties, including 2,300 abandoned homes.

Private ownership of property has been a mainstay of the American political and economic system since the founding of the country. Private property rights are guaranteed in both the U.S. and Michigan Constitutions. Americans have been traditionally supportive of government ownership of property when it serves a public purpose such as a school, highway or park. The Genesee County Land Bank, however, seems to go well beyond the traditional purposes of government ownership of property. The county is in effect acting as a real estate agent and landlord. Some have accused the county of being a slum landlord due to the blighted condition of much of the property y in the Land Bank.

According to former Genesee Country Treasurer Dan Kildee, "With funding from the C.S. Mott Foundation, Genesee County engaged a local consulting team and a number of national partners in developing a more creative approach to use tax foreclosures as a community development tool. .....The (Land Bank) is funded with proceeds from the tax foreclosure process, and allows the county to acquire land through foreclosure and determine the best use of land with the community's needs in mind...." Kildee's statement appears to indicate the primary reason for the Land Bank is to remake the community to conform to the county's official land use vision.

The very existence of the Land Bank sends a chilling message to property owners as well as potential real estate investors. County officials have a free reign to implement their utopian vision of smart growth land use policy through the Land Bank. It is not hard to imagine the removal or relocation of entire neighborhoods "with the community's needs in mind."

Flint is undergoing hard times. The city has lost more than 60,000 jobs and approximately half of its peak population in recent decades The Land Bank, however, will not help to reverse the decline of the city but instead will serve as a barrier to the private investment necessary to revitalization. The last thing potential investors want is uncertainty. Unfortunately the Land Bank provides much uncertainty as the private sector is susceptible to the land use planning whims of county officials. Although the Land Bank may be well intentioned as with many government programs it causes more problems than it solves and it should be dissolved.

#####

Russ Harding is director of the Property Rights Network at the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a research and educational institute headquartered in Midland, Mich. Permission to reprint in whole or in part is hereby granted, provided that the author and the Center are properly cited.



Lanny Valentine · Top Commenter · Flint central indians

Lets check out Pam Faris (Cherry), and John Cherry as well as the Kildees and Deb Cherry, this needs a grand jury to check into., Why was Dan sent to Washington just as questions were being asked, uncle Dale and John Cherry should answer these questions.

· Follow Post · August 27 at 9:27pm

Tom Wassa · Fairgrove, Michigan

Where did the Mott Foundation get their funding.. Dale kildee and Congress.



· Follow Post · August 28 at 11:25am

Tom Wassa · Fairgrove, Michigan

Genesee land bank currently hold over 10,000 piece of property in their possession… I was told that if the property is sold through the land bank it is tax exempt for 5 years (Don’t know if this is true). However, if these homes had been sold at a tax sale, the back taxes (General Funds Revenue) would have been paid. General Funds is the funding for police and fire protection. If these properties are sitting in the land bank, what is impact on general fund revenue and what is the effects on police and fire protection? These are the questions the residence of Genesee County should be asking.


· Follow Post · August 28 at 11:50am
Mike Nancy Good · Works at Retired

No Doubt


· August 28 at 7:18pm

Victoria Vanasco

Sounds like if you have lost 60,000 jobs, have half the population and a whopping 2300 abandoned homes, the market has failed to deliver for a long time.
Post Tue Sep 25, 2012 1:22 pm 
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untanglingwebs
El Supremo

Dan Kildee was instrumental in influencing this law.

Kent County Taxpayers Question Land Bank

By Audrey Spalding | Aug. 3, 2012 | Follow Audrey Spalding on Twitter



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.

Post Tue Sep 25, 2012 1:29 pm 
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