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Council discusses land‑trust option to address adjudicated and blighted properties
Summary
Council members and staff discussed the city’s large inventory of adjudicated properties and explored the recent state law option to create land trusts to clear titles; staff said the approach is complex and will take time and will return to council with options.
Council members and staff used departmental reports to highlight the city’s extensive inventory of adjudicated and blighted properties, the difficulty of clearing titles after tax sales, and the burdens that such properties place on neighborhoods and code enforcement.
City staff recounted the typical redemptive process following tax sales, the three‑year adjudication period and the expense required to clear title after redemption. On a recent conference call staff learned of a state law authorizing the creation of land trusts to handle blighted properties; staff said the mechanism may allow the city to clear titles, consolidate parcels and return them to market through a trust structure. The attorney and staff cautioned the process is legally and administratively heavy, not quick, and will require more research and a formal plan before council action.
Council direction: staff were asked to gather information and draft possible approaches for dealing with adjudicated properties, including whether land trusts or other mechanisms might speed title clearing and return properties to productive uses. No formal vote or ordinance was requested; the discussion was exploratory.
