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Council votes to sell dilapidated tax‑title property; earlier foreclosures ratified
Summary
The council voted to sell a dilapidated tax‑title property at 26 Central Ave after a land court judgment; the council also ratified prior land‑court foreclosure decisions for two other properties and referred a procedural update on tax‑title sales to ordinance committee.
Following a land‑court judgment awarding title in tax‑title foreclosure, Treasuer Grover asked the council to decide whether to retain or sell city‑acquired property at 26 Central Avenue. The council voted to sell the property and directed the treasurer to run a realtor RFP and proceed with disposition.
Details from the treasurer
Treasurer Grover said the property has been abandoned for several years, is dilapidated and accrues ongoing costs for maintenance and code enforcement. The outstanding tax lien amount was reported as roughly $68,000 as of January and is now “closer to $75,000,” while the assessor’s value on file is about $516,000. Grover recommended selling the property after soliciting realtors by RFP to obtain an appropriate price and expedite rehabilitation or redevelopment.
Why it matters: selling the property will remove a long‑standing eyesore, stop ongoing code and maintenance expenditures, and may return net proceeds to any legally entitled heirs after lien satisfaction; if the city retained the property it would need to cover the difference between market value and outstanding liabilities to clear title.
Council action and related items
On Councilor Cica’s motion, seconded by Councilor McDonald, the council voted 10–0 to sell 26 Central Ave. Councilor Colón Hayes recused herself because of a potential conflict with a local affordable‑housing board. Treasurer Grover said an RFP for realtors would go out the following week.
Separately, the council ratified earlier land‑court foreclosure and disposition votes for 42 Crescent Avenue and 40–42 Wentworth Street that had been acted on under an amended agenda; both ratifications were adopted unanimously. The council also referred a proposed amendment to the city procedure for selling tax‑title property to the Ordinance Committee for review.
Ending note
Councilors noted the benefit to neighbors of removing blighted buildings and emphasized the city should follow the RFP and appraisal process to ensure fair market sale and proper accounting for outstanding liabilities and any potential payment to heirs.
