Committee considers writing off taxes on three uninhabitable mobile homes at Praise Mobile Home Park

City staff told the Bangor Finance Committee on March 3 that Streamside Pines, the new owner of Praise Mobile Home Park at 438 Pinson Road, requested the city write off delinquent taxes on three mobile homes the owner acquired with the property.

Finance Director David Little described the homes as “in extremely poor condition” and said they are uninhabitable. He said the park owner has offered to demolish the three units and that staff estimate the taxes due at just under $3,700. Little outlined alternatives: the city could foreclose on the tax liens and assume ownership, which would require appraisals under a new foreclosure law and could leave the city responsible for removal costs. “It seems pretty clear that financially, it was in the best interest of city to just write off the just under $3,700 in taxes, allow the park to demolish properties themselves,” Little said.

Committee members asked questions about why liens were missed during sale, how liens are recorded and the potential for placing covenants to preserve affordability. Little explained the city files tax liens at the Penobscot County Registry of Deeds and noted that mobile homes are often treated differently in title searches because they are sometimes recorded as personal property in other filings. He said staff would include timing expectations in the approval, seeking demolition in spring or early summer.

A motion to write off the tax liens on the three properties was made and seconded; the transcript records the motion and second but does not show a roll-call vote or recorded final outcome.

Why it matters: accepting the staff recommendation would clear liens that staff say are small relative to the administrative and removal costs the city would incur if it pursued foreclosure, and would free three lots for reuse. Some committee members expressed interest in whether the lots could be restricted to affordable housing; staff said that is not a standard covenant practice tied to lot rent and the owner’s exact plans (whether the park will retain ownership of new units or re-rent lots) were not specified in the discussion.

What’s next: If the committee or council records formal approval, staff said they will require timely demolition and follow up on the agreement.