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Committee approves amendments to vacant-property tax measure; staff and administration back legal fixes
Summary
The committee adopted amendments and moved CB 80-2024 favorably, a bill that would establish a vacant-property tax rate (5× the regular rate) contingent on implementation of the county's vacant property registry and clarification to avoid TRIM conflicts.
Staff described CB 80-2024 as a measure to set a special tax rate for properties officially cited as vacant and unfit and to tie implementation to the vacant-property registry established by last year's ordinance. David Noto, Office of Budget and Policy, said the measure would set the vacant-property rate at five times the regular tax rate but that revenue estimates depend on establishing and populating the registry.
Sponsor proponents and Office of Law worked with staff to amend wording to avoid conflict with TRIM (state taxing limits) and to clarify implementation timing. Council Chair Ivy said the changes were intended to make the bill legally implementable rather than to alter the policy's substance. The administration signaled support after Office of Law’s amendments, and the committee voted 5–0 in favor of the amended bill.
The committee also requested staff confirmations about whether the registry is operational and financial projections for potential revenue; staff said those numbers will be provided to the committee.
