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For more information contact:
Cleveland City Council
Katherine Bulava Samsa, Media Relations Manager
(216) 857-7362 |
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| Council Passes Resolution to Support H.B. 138 |
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Council Passes Resolution to Support H.B. 138, making the process of holding responsible parties accountable for foreclosed upon properties easier
Cleveland City Council will pass a resolution, sponsored by Council Members Anthony Brancatelli, Ward 12, and Jay Westbrook, Ward 18, to support the passage of H.B. 138 at tonight’s 7 pm Council Meeting.
H.B. 138 will better identify ownership of a property after a foreclosure occurs, making code enforcement and the tracking of owners delinquent in taxes and fees easier for local governments.
The passage of H.B. 138 is crucial in the battle to break the cycle of foreclosure and abandonment in the City of Cleveland, which had approximately 9,000 foreclosures in 2006. Vacant foreclosed upon properties are breeding grounds for crime and violence, require a disproportionate amount of government maintenance, bring down property values while raising the cost of insurance for neighbors and are detrimental to the quality of life in a neighborhood.
“The presence of vacant and abandoned properties in our neighborhoods negatively impacts the quality of life for residents and invites crime and further decay,” said Councilman Westbrook. “Council is eager to work with all levels of government to find ways to alleviate this problem.”
The inability to track down the party responsible for a vacant and abandoned property is one of the biggest set-backs to ridding neighborhoods of the nuisance caused by these structures. H.B. 138 will make this tracking process easier.
“Effectively tackling the abandoned and vacant property issue from all side is essential to the future success of our neighborhoods,” said Councilman Brancatelli. “Being able to track those responsible for vacant structures is one of the biggest challenges we face. We must support any State legislation that will speed up this process.”
Currently, when a foreclosed upon property is sold at a Sheriff’s sale, the winning bidder is responsible for filing the property deed with the County Recorder’s Office. However, the purchaser often fails to file the deed for several reasons, including avoiding local taxes and fees, code violation citations from local building and housing departments and being held accountable by neighbors demanding the property be cleaned and cared for.
H.B. 138 will require Sheriff’s Departments, not the purchaser, to file the deed at the Recorder’s Office and collect necessary information from the purchaser. As a result, purchasers of foreclosed upon properties will no longer be able to avoid taking responsibility for these properties, which are often vacant, abandoned and in dire need of repair.
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Cleveland City Council
601 Lakeside Avenue
Room 220
Cleveland, OH 44114
(216) 664-2840
(216) 664-3837 fax
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