Laserfiche WebLink
homes from damage and to help <br />preserve property values in <br />neighborhoods where concentrations <br />of such conditions are present, <br />including an expedited process to <br />address nuisance properties. <br />e) Reexamine the Contract for Deed <br />statutes to determine whether <br />additional protections are necessary to <br />prevent property owners from <br />evading responsibilities of a landlord, <br />and provide local jurisdictions <br />resources to allow for education of <br />future buyers and sellers in contract <br />for deed arrangements. <br />f) Support local authority for cities to <br />collect all delinquent taxes, utility <br />bills, liens, and assessments on <br />foreclosed and tax forfeited <br />properties. <br />Improve notification to cities and <br />consistency in the information <br />available to cities when a property is <br />in the foreclosure process and vacated. <br />h) Require the foreclosing <br />party/mortgage holder to maintain <br />foreclosed properties. If the <br />foreclosing party is unwilling to <br />maintain the property, strengthen city <br />authority to charge the foreclosing <br />party/mortgage holder for cost of <br />maintenance. <br />i) Support coordinated responses to <br />prevent foreclosures, activate and <br />guide private investment and home <br />purchases, and support distressed <br />neighborhoods. <br />Support the studying and monitoring <br />the impacts of on the housing market <br />of single-family home acquisition by <br />private equity companies. <br />g) <br />j) <br />LE-9. New Resources for <br />Affordable Housing <br />Issue: Cities, along with local housing <br />officials, are concerned about the need for <br />proactive commitment at the state level to <br />aid cities to meet demand for affordable <br />housing that is sensitive to local conditions, <br />including meeting the needs of an aging <br />population, particularly when elderly <br />residents often must leave communities <br />where they have owned their own homes for <br />many years. The League also recognizes <br />that federal, state and local governments all <br />have a role to play in meeting affordable <br />housing needs, preventing, and recovering <br />from, foreclosure, and responding to <br />problems caused by vacant homes and the <br />increase in rental properties that are the <br />result of foreclosure. <br />Response: The Legislature should: <br />a) Support the strategic priorities that <br />Minnesota Housing has adopted, <br />which include making resources and <br />methods available to maintain and <br />improve existing affordable homes, <br />especially housing stock that is aging. <br />b) Re-enact a program similar to "This <br />Old House" to allow owners of <br />qualifying single-family homes or <br />multi -unit rental properties to defer <br />the increase in tax capacity from <br />repairs or improvements to their <br />homestead property as an incentive <br />for cities to maintain housing stock, <br />including, but not limited to re- <br />occupying and homesteading <br />foreclosed and vacant homes. In order <br />to provide potential opportunities in <br />more communities, the program's age <br />limit qualifications for a homestead <br />property should be updated to include <br />properties that are at least 30 years <br />old. <br />League of Minnesota Cities <br />2015 City Policies Page 51 <br />