Land Bank Authority

Rome/Floyd Land Bank Authority Minutes Friday, June 4, 2021 8:30 AM Carnegie Training Room Committee Members Present: Others: Harry Brock Cindy Reed - Finance Accountant, Grants/Internal Auditor Lowery May Kraig Ingalsbe - Assistant Director of Finance Roger Smith Porter Law - Intern David Mathis Cooper Brock Sara Toering- Center for Community Progress Odetta MacLeish-White- Center for Community Progress Staff: Bekki Fox- Community Development Director Suzanne Parris- Community Development Grant and Housing Administrator Logan Drake- Community Development Program and Compliance Specialist Welcome and Call to order: Roger Smith called the meeting to order at 8:35 AM. A quorum was established. Approval of Minutes: Smith asked for any corrections to the minutes from the meeting of May 7, 2021. Not hearing any other corrections or omissions, the minutes were approved by common consent. Welcome to our friends from The Center for Community Progress: Fox introduced Odetta MacLeish-White, the Director of Georgia Initiatives for CCP and Sara Toering, a senior fellow at CPP. Relevant, professional background-information was given. Pleasantries were exchanged. MacLeish-White and Toering each gave their thoughts on the past, present and future of Land Bank Authorities in the state of Georgia and what that means for us. American Rescue Plan Funds Discussion: Fox informed the board of the upcoming financial impact of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. This plan “will provide needed relief to state, local, and Tribal governments to enable them to continue to support the public health response and lay the foundation for a strong and equitable economic recovery.” This will be the first time in our nation’s history where every local government will receive direct funding from the federal government. As a result, the City of Rome and Floyd County will receive millions of dollars for this purpose. Fox stated she plans to formally ask both entities for allocated funding. If given, Fox wants the LBA to spearhead the affordable housing initiative. Another option for funding is from the state of Georgia as they too will be receiving funding. The Georgia Association of Land Banks will be asking Governor Kemp to spread funding across Georgia’s 23 land banks. The desire for a formal, written plan and possibility of a work session was made known by the Board. Discussion was made. Authority Updates: Discussion was had on the cost of moving forward with quiet title action on the following parcels: Orchid Pl (J140113), 330 Ross St (J13J048), 7 Forsyth St (J13J165), 410 Hardy Ave (I14W330), and 414 Hardy Ave (I14W332). Fox informed the Board that after speaking with Andy Garner, he said the cost could be up to $25,000.00 with a cap of $5,000.00 per parcel. After discussion, Mathis made a motion to move forward with quiet title action on the above parcels, which was seconded by Brock. Motion carried. Fox continued the discussion regarding the property at 330 Ross St. As stated above, quiet title action will be sought after. Fox stated that further actions can be discussed in a future meeting once Garner has communicated his thoughts back to her. Fox updated the Board on pending sales, recent closings and pending purchases. For the first time in our LBA’s history, we will be purchasing parcels from a private citizen. We now have signed contracts for Hardy Avenue (I14W331) from Libbie Katrina Sams for $1,500.00 and Pennington Avenue (I14W563) from Roger Covington for $3,000.00. Attorney’s title searches on both parcels came back clear. Several properties that were discussed are still pending transfer from Floyd County. Staff will continue to work on resolving these issues. Staff has drafted contracts for these properties and hopes to have them closed in June and July. Fox brought up the previous discussion on providing lots and house plans to potential developers. Fox’s opinion was that the LBA would benefit greatly from buying a couple house plans to keep in our portfolio. While these developers often already have their own plans available, the LBA would not be unreasonable in asking that our house plans be used considering we are also providing the lots to build on. Further discussion will be necessary when the time comes. Property Purchase Request: Fox presented the applications for property acquisition through the Land Bank Authority. The applications were discussed, and the outcome is listed as follows:  301 Ross St (J13J020) The Board reviewed an application submitted for the purchase of a vacant parcel on 301 Ross St. James Mitchell offered $1,000.00 for parcel J13J020. Mitchell’s development plan is to eventually build a home that will pair well with the surrounding neighborhood. Smith brought up his concerns about Mitchell’s future-development timeframe considering he has accumulated so many properties already. The board asked staff to check if 303 Ross St, the adjacent property owned by Floyd County, has been sold yet or not. After discussion, the Board acted as follows: o David Mathis moved to accept the $1,000 offer for parcel J13J020, subject to conveyance from Floyd County, which was seconded by Lowery May. Motion carried.  0 Allen St (F13W052) The Board reviewed an application submitted for the purchase of a heavily wooded parcel on 0 Allen St. Timothy Bohannon offered $200.00 for parcel F13W052. Being that Bohannon has residents nearby, he wants to purchase the parcel for potential future development plans. Bohannon says that he currently has no plans to develop any time soon. After discussion, the board acted as follows:  o Brock authorized staff to counter the $200.00 offer presented from Timothy Bohannon for parcel F13W052 to $500.00 but still accept the lower price, subject to conveyance from Floyd County, which was seconded by Mathis. Motion carried. Financial Report: The Financial report was distributed for review. Report attached. Other Business: Fox stated that while the next scheduled meeting will be held on Friday, August 6, 2021, at 8:30 am, there is a strong possibility that we will need to hold a called meeting in July. A three-person quorum would be sufficient. Continuing discussion will need to be had on potential options for using the upcoming American Rescue Plan funds. Fox stated that 0 Pennington Ave, a property the LBA is purchasing, is tax delinquent. Fox reminded the Board that the LBA has the ability to extinguish taxes and not pay them. The seller agreed to $3,000.00 once staff told him we could handle his taxes. Fox told the Board that she would need to draft a resolution. Once the Board has entered the resolution, a copy will need to be sent to the tax commissioner. Depending on the response we receive, follow-up actions will need to be discussed in July. Discussion was had on the possibility of forming a partnership with either Georgia Northwestern Technical College or Floyd County Schools College and Career Academy. This would serve the purpose of using these students to help rehabilitate existing homes or build new ones. An option would be to give students an early opportunity to purchase the home in exchange for their labor. Further actions can be taken later. Fox brought up the need for a way to revolve money and have a sustainable income stream. Potential options were discussed. Adjourn: There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:56 A.M. Respectfully submitted, Logan Drake Recording Secretary