Task force highlights heirs-property, notice gaps and social-media pilot idea

Members of the Louisiana Task Force on Blight spent substantial time on heirs property, succession hurdles and the reliability of notice. Local officials and attorneys described how property records and tax rolls can be out of date, causing certified notices to be mailed to nonexistent addresses and robbing owners of the opportunity to respond.

Dr. Marla Dickerson of Southern University Law Center offered a pilot to test social-media and multi-channel notification and to deploy students to assist with outreach and small successions. Multiple speakers said educational, programmatic solutions—help with succession paperwork, law-clinic assistance and public-facing databases listing at-risk properties—may be more feasible than statewide direct subsidies.

Panelists also noted constitutional and practical limits: some senators cautioned that Louisiana’s constitution restricts "giving away money," which complicates state-funded grants to cure title or repair property. Members agreed education, clearer communications, and targeted pilots could reduce unintended takings and family conflict while enabling reinvestment efforts.