Floral Park Eyes Cash for Zombie House Maintenance
Updated 7/6/17: An ordinance that would provide money for the maintenance of abandoned homes that are under foreclosure was recently adopted by the Village of Floral Park, N.Y.
Legislation Update
April 5, 2017
Floral Park officials are considering a law that would provide money for the village to maintain abandoned homes that are under foreclosure.
The new law, discussed at a public hearing Tuesday night, would require the individual, business, bank or organization foreclosing on a vacant property to pay $35,000 to the village within 45 days after foreclosure proceedings start. This deposit would be used to preserve and care for the deserted property to prevent it from falling into disrepair and becoming an eyesore, trustees said. Once a foreclosure action is discontinued, any unused funds would be returned.
“When properties in the Village of Floral Park fall vacant and become the subject of foreclosure actions, they frequently become neglected and overgrown with grass, weeds and rubbish,” Mayor Dominick Longobardi said.
This not only creates an unsightly appearance, but also impairs the ability of residents and business owners to go about their days in a “safe, clear and aesthetic environment,” Longobardi said.“The village is committed to using all legal avenues to proactively address these adverse conditions to alleviate the burden these vacant properties impose on a neighborhood,” Longobardi said.
In December 2016, New York State passed a law that requires financiers of homes, such as mortgage companies and banks, to inspect, secure, maintain and register properties that have become abandoned.
Trustee Lynn Pombonyo said the state legislation has been instrumental in helping to get tax reimbursements for work on several abandoned properties in the village, making it a “very, very important piece of legislation for us,” she said.
Longobardi said the new village law mirrors the state law, but gives the local government more control with an advance cash reserve and removes the burden from taxpayers.
The law will not only deter violations by creating a financial incentive against allowing the property to fall into disrepair, but it will also expedite the resolution of property maintenance violations when they occur and prevent increases in village spending, officials said.
The law would take effect once it’s filed with the state’s secretary of state. The village Board of Trustees tabled the law Tuesday evening, and did not say when it would vote on it.
Source: The Island Now
