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Shelby County Land Bank reports sales uptick, maintenance costs and inventory challenges; commission approves maintenance extension and parcel sales
Summary
The Land Bank reported FY2025 activity—577 delinquent tax parcels acquired, 584 sold, roughly $1.7 million spent on lot maintenance—and commissioners approved a four‑month grounds-maintenance extension and the sale of 73 delinquent parcels totaling $483,528.75.
The Shelby County Land Bank presented its FY2025 annual report to the Core City, Neighborhoods and Housing committee, detailing inventory, sales and operational challenges.
Esther Sykes Wood, land bank administrator, told commissioners: "We acquired 577 DTPs. We sold 584," and outlined service activity including more than 11,000 service tickets, 38 demolitions and more than 25 community events. She described revenue trends (average sale price up), district-level sale concentrations (District 8 led with 213 sales) and new measures such as online bidding and a public computer for applicants.
The committee approved a four-month extension of the countywide grounds-maintenance contract (not to exceed $548,208) to allow the issuance of a revised RFP delayed by procurement changes tied to MBE/LOSB procedural adjustments, Sykes Wood said. The committee also approved a resolution to sell 73 county-owned delinquent tax parcels to identified purchasers for a combined $483,528.75; Sykes Wood said the total back taxes owed on those parcels was $960,271.16 and described the resulting net back-tax collection as negative $476,742.41 in the committee record.
Sykes Wood highlighted budget pressure from maintenance and debris collection costs (about $1,000,000 for grass cutting and debris on smaller parcels) and demolition delays tied to utility cutoffs; she said the Land Bank is pursuing Brownfields grants and bundling properties to attract developers.
Why it matters: Land Bank activity directly affects neighborhoods, tax revenue flow and property maintenance costs countywide. The extension is intended to preserve seasonal maintenance while procurement is updated.
What’s next: The county will reissue the RFP under updated procurement rules, continue reconciliation with the trustee’s office for deed processing, and pursue federal remediation grants and bundled sales where feasible.
