HB1216: Land banks.

Legislative Summary

Land banks. Allows a county to adopt an ordinance requiring a person who wishes to participate in a tax sale as a bidder to pay a neighborhood investment fee of not more than $150 and specifies the manner in which neighborhood investment fees collected are to be distributed to land banks. Allows a county to adopt an ordinance to impose, in addition to the 5% penalty for delinquent real property taxes, an additional penalty of not more than 3% for a total penalty that may not exceed 8% of the amount of delinquent real property taxes (additional penalty ordinance). Specifies the manner in which the amounts collected attributable to an additional penalty ordinance are to be distributed to land banks. Allows a county to adopt an ordinance imposing a $15 fee for each document recorded on a tract located in the territory of a land bank and specifies the manner in which the fee shall be distributed to land banks. Makes various changes to the statutes governing land banks that concern certain land bank powers, objectives, and duties. Provides that a majority of the directors of a land bank's board must have demonstrated competency in an occupation or discipline that is relevant to the primary purpose of a land bank. Allows a land bank to establish advisory committees composed of specified community members to consult with and advise the land bank on: (1) properties within the territory of the land bank that are imposing the greatest harm on residents and neighborhoods; (2) resident and neighborhood priorities for new uses of land bank properties; and (3) options for potential transferees of land bank properties. Provides, subject to certain limitations, that a land bank may use an interlocal agreement to establish processes to improve the quality of title and marketability of property the land bank owns by extinguishing any liens that exist on the property. Provides that, if a land bank enters into an interlocal agreement, any employees of an eligible unit who may be contracted to provide staffing services to the land bank pursuant to the interlocal agreement retain their status as public employees of the eligible unit. Requires a county executive to provide a land bank in the county with a list of tracts located in the territory of the land bank that: (1) are delinquent on property taxes; and (2) have been offered for public sale at least two times and remain unsold; on an annual basis. Specifies that list must be provided to the land bank within 60 days after the end of the last tax sale for which the tracts went unsold. Allows the county executive to transfer its interest in a tract on the list to a land bank if requested by the land bank not later than 90 days after it receives the list.