Land Bank Authority Board Meeting
June 3, 2015
Page 2
Land Bank Authority Board Meeting
June 3, 2015
Page 3
Land Bank Authority
Board Meeting Minutes
June 3, 2015
10:00 a.m.
A meeting of the Land Bank Authority Board was held on June 3rd, 2015, in the
Conference Room at the Land Bank Authority?s office located at 18 Eleventh
Street, Columbus, Georgia.
Members Present: Lance Hemmings Steve Anthony Brad Dodds
Patrick Coleman Justin Krieg
Members Absent: Carson Cummings Anne Hanna Merritt
Also Present: Rhonda Walters (Staff)
Call to Order/Establish a Quorum
Board Chair Lance Hemmings called the meeting to order. A quorum was present.
Approval of Minutes
A motion to approve the minutes from the Board meeting on May 6, 2015, was made
by Steve Anthony. The motion was seconded by Justin Krieg. The motion passed.
Operational Items
Financial Update
Approximately $45,400 remains in the account. One invoice for travel expenses
to the Reclaiming Vacant Properties conference is expected to be submitted next
month.
Certificate of Incumbency and Authority
Brad Dodds presented a draft document for review. One slight modification is
necessary to reflect the correct number (3) and titles of LBA Officers. Lance
Hemmings is Chair, Brad Dodds is Vice Chair and Steve Anthony is Secretary. The
revised document will be presented during the next meeting.
Website Updates
Additional updates to the LBA?s page on the City?s website are needed. Rhonda
Walters will contact Donny Kent for assistance with these.
Business Items
Property Updates
o 2235 Cornell Avenue
Adjacent property owners have not responded or otherwise indicated any interest
in purchasing the lot. Discussion followed. Steve Anthony made a motion to list
the lot for sale with a realtor. Patrick Coleman seconded the motion. Motion
approved. Jackie Leonard, Solid Source Realty, will be contacted to list the
property.
o 2406 Winchester
This property may be a good option for acquisition through In Rem Foreclosure.
Discussion followed. A motion to pursue In Rem Foreclosure was made by Justin
Krieg. Patrick Coleman seconded the motion. Motion passed. Justin will contact
the Tax Commissioner?s Office in this regard.
o LBA Property in East Highlands
The LBA owns five lots in the neighborhood. All are undersized lots with
limited development potential. Lance Hemmings has previously approached the
Principal at Hannan Elementary regarding the donation of two of those lots that
are adjacent to the school. The lots could be used to develop a school garden
that serves as a gateway to the neighborhood. The next step would require
gaining approval from the Muscogee County School Board. Kia Chambers may be the
best contact. Lance will follow up. Rhonda Walters will identify adjacent
property owners for these lots prior to the next meeting to help determine next
steps for the disposition of these lots.
o Possible Transfer of Property List from NWC to LBA
NeighborWorks Columbus (NWC) has previously requested the possible transfer of
property in their inventory to the LBA until such time as NWC may be able to
develop it. This type of transfer was discussed by both organizations in late
2011 but never finalized. Justin Krieg explained how the process would work. An
operational agreement outlining specific terms and conditions is needed. Rhonda
Walters will try to get examples of similar documents prior to the next
meeting. Goal ? Hold lots no longer than 5 years and at no cost to LBA for
maintenance, etc.
Items regarding the Tax Commissioner?s Office
Discussion continued regarding various items that involve the Tax
Commissioner?s Office. Justin Krieg reported that he had spoken with David
Britt of the Tax Commissioner?s Office. David will need to confer with Lula
Huff regarding some items but was quite helpful overall.
Property Tax Delinquency List - The LBA would like to utilize this information
to encourage payment delinquent property taxes or, in some cases, to pursue In
Rem Foreclosure. Concerns regarding the possible reimbursement of costs
associated with such actions were raised. David Britt is working on identifying
a list of properties for In Rem Foreclosure later this year. Justin will
request a copy of the list when it is completed. Regarding reimbursement of
costs incurred by the LBA, David didn?t think that such costs would be much. He
will discuss it with Lula Huff for further clarification.
Ordinance No. 12-40 ? This ordinance reserves a portion of the taxes collected
for a period of 5 years on property conveyed by the LBA for the LBA?s use to
defray expenses. The LBA would like to pursue these funds. David Britt
suggested that the LBA prepare a list of properties that have passed through
LBA ownership and are now current on property taxes for presentation to the Tax
Commissioner. The list should include properties sold by the LBA after the
Ordinance was adopted on August 28, 2012. Rhonda Walters will work with Justin
to compile this list.
Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference
The national conference was very informative. Rhonda Walters attended. One of
the key recurring factors in many of the success stories presented was the
level of engagement and participation of stakeholders across various sectors of
the community within their city-wide campaigns to address blight. Other
critical components of these strategies included code enforcement, funding for
demolition and ?greening? activities, citizen involvement and buy-in from
community leadership. Several presentations from the conference are available
on the Center for Community Progress website.
Next Meeting
The next Land Bank Authority Board Meeting will be on Wednesday, July 1st,
2015.
Adjourn
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
Attachments
No attachments for this document.