Dolton village board launches two-month pilot to let residents acquire vacant, tax-delinquent properties

The Dolton village board introduced a two-month pilot called the Dolton United Housing Program that would allow long-term residents to apply to acquire vacant, tax-delinquent properties, officials said.

A presenter identified in the meeting as Mr. G outlined the program’s main features: applicants must have at least one year of residency in Dolton; target properties are vacant, abandoned or unsafe and carry two or more years of unpaid property taxes or two or more years of unpaid water bills. "It allows residents to find homes in town or commercial businesses or multi-unit homes that are vacant and abandoned, dangerous and unsafe, and that have a 2-year or more tax bill that's unpaid or a water bill that has 2 years or more outstanding balance," Mr. G said.

The trustee leading the meeting and Jacqueline G, the attorney assisting the program, said the village will require an escrow and proof of funds: $10,000 escrow for a residential property, $15,000 for multi-unit buildings and $25,000 for commercial properties, plus proof that the applicant has $50,000 available to use for rehabilitation after conveyance. Mr. G said the escrow would be used to "file a case in circuit court against the owner of that property" and that the village expects to secure a deed within about nine months; the village would then ask the county to abate back taxes and use the remaining escrow toward the purchase price.

After conveyance, the program sets short, specific rehabilitation deadlines: the transferee must clean the exterior within seven days; meet with the building department within 15 days to review scope of work; pull permits and begin work within 30 days; and obtain a certificate of occupancy within one year. "Once the property is up to code, you can live in the home, you can sell the home," Mr. G said, but he added the program imposes transfer restrictions: a resident (or purchaser) must live in the home for five years before it can be transferred, and transfers or quick-claim deeds are not permitted during the first year. Mr. G said failure to complete required work would result in the property returning to the village.

Village officials said the application packet and full requirements will be posted online and that incomplete applications will not be accepted. The program will be limited to one application per person, officials said. The trustee recounted a constituent example of a senior who hopes the program will allow a relative to move closer, underscoring the board’s stated goal of promoting homeownership while reducing vacant properties.

The trustees said they are also engaging with a land bank as a possible alternative or supplement and have approved inviting the land bank to present its program to the board; meeting materials did not include vote tallies or mover/second details. Officials described the current plan as a pilot to test what works and to add components as needed.

Next steps: the village will post the application and program materials online and host a land-bank presentation in a future meeting; trustees said they will evaluate the two-month pilot and consider changes based on results.