Policy sought on sale of seized property (complete article from source)
Source: poughkeepsiejournal.com, by Alice Hunt
February 27, 2007
KINGSTON - Ulster County Legislators are interested in establishing a policy for reviewing land acquired through the nonpayment of property taxes before the properties are put up for sale.
The draft resolution would establish a committee to create a land disposition policy to identify parcels that may benefit the county, said Legislator Hector Rodriguez, D-New Paltz, chairman of the Economic Development, Housing, Planning and Transit Committee, which drafted the resolution.
"There are multiple uses for the land we take in," he said.
The desire for a land disposition policy committee stems from a controversial property bid on 123 acres around Chodikee Lake in the Town of Lloyd. The land was put up for auction in April 2004, but some legislators wanted to stop the sale of the land, which is mostly wetlands.
In November, the Legislature voted to block the sale, saying the land should be used for county or state recreation.
The idea of creating this kind of policy has been kicked around for a few years, said Environmental Committee Chairman Brian Shapiro, D-Woodstock.
His group has been trying to find a way to identify potentially useful properties the county may want.
"It creates a vehicle for the work the environmental committee has been doing," he said.
The policy wouldn't address only environmentally sensitive properties, he said.
"You may have a parcel next to one of the county buildings where parking is an issue," Shapiro said. "The county may want that parcel for parking lots or for infrastructure. With the policy in place, we'll have better oversight of how (the parcels) may fit."
The committee would include representatives from the county treasurer's office, highways and bridges department, administrator's office, planning board, county attorney's office and Environmental Management Council.
Legislator Tracey Bartels, unenrolled, Gardiner, said she would like to see a member of the environmental committee on the advisory board.
The resolution has been reviewed by the planning and environmental committees. Several other departments will review it before it goes to the full Legislature for a vote.
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