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 - City - Accountant, Grants/Internal Auditor Rob Ware Toni Rhinehart - City - Director of Finance Roger Smith Meredith Ulmer - City - Assistant City Manager David Mathis Kevin Payne - County - Tax Commissioner Staff: Bekki Fox - City - Community Development Director Suzanne Parris - City - Community Development Grant and Housing Administrator Logan Drake - City - 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. Smith asked everyone to introduce themselves to Meredith Ulmer. Ulmer is the new Assistant City Manager for the City of Rome. Approval of Minutes: Smith called the meeting to order. He asked for any corrections to the minutes from the meeting of June 4, 2021. Not hearing any other corrections or omissions, the minutes were approved by common consent. Authority Updates: Discussion was had on the progress 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 the process with Andy Garner has started. Fox stated that we have been invoiced $12,500.00 and it has been paid. Garner believes the process should be finished in six months or less. Staff has been in contact with Garner and will continue to do so. Updates will be given later. Fox updated the Board regarding the property at 330 Ross St. When the City Street Department went to cut the grass at said property, staff was informed that the back door and window are broken and need repair. As of this meeting, the Street Department was unable to fix the broken fixtures and thus the property is unsecure. Staff and Street believe it is possible that either an animal or person could have caused the damage. Code Enforcement will go back in an attempt to secure the property. Discussion was had. A more permanent solution will be reached once the title has been cleared and/or the home has been purchased. Fox updated the Board on pending sales, recent closings, and pending purchases. Several pending properties were finally transferred from Floyd County. Sales contracts have drafted for pending transfers, and staff will work on closing all active properties as soon as possible. Smith brought up 330 Ross St again. He inquired about the type of funding needed to secure and clean property. Discussion was had. Fox stated that while the City and County currently maintain the properties, the LBA needs to find a way to complete those tasks moving forward. Kevin Payne asked if there was anything in the budget set aside for property maintenance. Staff said not specifically but acknowledged there was a line item for rehabilitation and renovation in the budget. David Mathis was concerned how the public might view a LBA-owned property that needs work. All agreed the LBA should be diligent in maintaining property. Harry Brock suggested taking funds out of the renovation budget to use for this purpose. Mathis made the motion to wisely use these funds for securing, maintaining and lawncare. Rob Ware seconded the motion. It was approved. American Rescue Plan Funds Discussion: Fox reminded the Board again of the upcoming financial impact of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. As previously mentioned, the City of Rome and Floyd County will each receive millions of dollars. The City will receive $11.5 million and the County will receive $19 million. Fox stated she has discussed numbers with both entities for allocated funding. If given, Fox still believes the LBA should 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 has formally written a letter to Governor Kemp to spread $25 million of funding across Georgia’s 23 land banks. A meeting with Georgia State Senator Chuck Hufstetler is being arranged as well. A LBA work session might need to be scheduled to discuss these various funding asks. A three-person quorum would be sufficient. Financial Report: The Financial report was distributed for review. Report attached. 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:  5 Pollock Street (I14Z098) The Board reviewed an application submitted for the purchase of a vacant parcel on 5 Pollock Street. Stan McCord offered $1,000.00 for parcel J13J020. McCord is the adjacent property owner of 3 Pollock Street, which is being remodeled. His development plan is to make both properties complimentary to South Rome. McCord, and a partner with whom he is no longer professionally associated, originally bid on 5 Pollock Street in 2020. The LBA did accept their offer, but negotiations fell through on closing the contract. McCord, who now operates alone, called staff to resubmit his previous offer. Staff informed him that the Board would look at his offer again. After discussion, the Board acted as follows: o Brock moved to accept the $1,000 offer for parcel I14Z098, which the LBA already owns, which was seconded by Mathis. Motion carried.  712 East Boundary Street (J14O314) The Board reviewed an application submitted for the purchase of a parcel on 712 East Boundary Street. Mary Thompson offered $1,500.00 for parcel J14O314. She wants to  purchase the parcel for potential future development plans. She will make the property livable for either herself or family members. Being that the parcel is relatively large, discussion was had on the different options available. Several ideas were discussed including holding for future development, reposting a sign, and clearing title. The Board acted as follows: o Brock motioned to deny the $1,500.00 offer presented from Mary Thompson for parcel J14O314, to hold for future development, which was seconded by Rob Ware. Motion carried.  300 Cave Spring Street (J14M041) The Board reviewed an application submitted for the purchase of a vacant parcel on 300 Cave Spring Street. Christopher and Melodye Rankin offered $150.00 for parcel J14M041. The Rankin’s future development plan includes building an office/storage unit for a potential business. They say they would fence in, clean, and maintain the property. Discussion was had. All agreed that the offer is too low. Brock introduced the idea of contacting Darlington School to see if they are interested. The Board acted as follows: o Mathis motioned to deny the $150.00 offer presented from Christopher and Melodye Rankin for parcel J14M041, so that Darlington School and/or other adjacent property owners may be contacted, which was seconded by Brock. Motion carried. Other Business: Fox stated that while the next scheduled meeting will be held on Friday, September 10, 2021, at 8:30 am. The holiday weekend caused the meeting to be pushed out one week. Fox stated that staff received phone calls regarding a confrontation about 15 Pollock Street between adjacent property owners regarding ownership and lot lines. After discussion, the Board stated they would receive applications and consider any offers. Adjourn: There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 9:54 A.M. Respectfully submitted, Logan Drake Recording Secretary