City's Property Acquisition/Disposition Policies??

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   Much has already and will continue to be said on this blog about the methods that City staff utilizes in the acquisition and/or disposition of HUD-financed properties.  In particular, much has been brought to light via revelations about the $2.144 Million NSP-1 grant, so-called Land Banking, etc. 

The questions I have are quite simple:  1) does the City of Middletown have City Council approved policies and operational procedures for City staff to follow when they buy and later sell real estate; and 2) are there controls in place to govern expenses incurred by City staff in the purchase, rehabilitation and resale of HUD-financed properties; and, 3) what provisions are in place to regulate the amount of subsidies that City staff may provide via individual real estate transactions.

Attached are some links from 1) Berrien County, Michigan; 2) City of Palm Bay, Florida; 3) Genesee County, Michigan; and 4) City of Little Rock, Arkansas.

http://www.berriencounty.org/econdev/policy_and_procedures_adopted_2009.pdf 
http://www.palmbayflorida.org/bayfront/facts/documents/appendix_d.pdf
http://www.thelandbank.org/policies.asp
http://www.littlerock.org/citydepartments/housingandneighborhoodservices/landbankcommission/little%20rock%20lb%20priorities%20and%20policies%20(3).pdf

According to the following Freddie Mac link, they currently have six (6) foreclosed homes on the market in Middletown that sell for less than $80,000.  Consequently, why are Community Revitalization Department staff squandering our tax dollars on homes purchased for up to $130,000?  And, why are they purchasing homes that require as much as $90,000 for rehabilitation?  After all, isn't it our Federal tax dollars that they are squandering in some instances? 

http://www.homesteps.com/cgi-bin/formsearch.cgi

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Nelson Self Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Resident Joined: Aug 17 2009 Status: Offline Points: 144	Post Options Post Reply Quote Nelson Self Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: City's Property Acquisition/Disposition Policies?? Posted: Aug 03 2010 at 4:54pm
	Much has already and will continue to be said on this blog about the methods that City staff utilizes in the acquisition and/or disposition of HUD-financed properties. In particular, much has been brought to light via revelations about the $2.144 Million NSP-1 grant, so-called Land Banking, etc. The questions I have are quite simple: 1) does the City of Middletown have City Council approved policies and operational procedures for City staff to follow when they buy and later sell real estate; and 2) are there controls in place to govern expenses incurred by City staff in the purchase, rehabilitation and resale of HUD-financed properties; and, 3) what provisions are in place to regulate the amount of subsidies that City staff may provide via individual real estate transactions. Attached are some links from 1) Berrien County, Michigan; 2) City of Palm Bay, Florida; 3) Genesee County, Michigan; and 4) City of Little Rock, Arkansas. http://www.berriencounty.org/econdev/policy_and_procedures_adopted_2009.pdf http://www.palmbayflorida.org/bayfront/facts/documents/appendix_d.pdf http://www.thelandbank.org/policies.asp http://www.littlerock.org/citydepartments/housingandneighborhoodservices/landbankcommission/little%20rock%20lb%20priorities%20and%20policies%20(3).pdf According to the following Freddie Mac link, they currently have six (6) foreclosed homes on the market in Middletown that sell for less than $80,000. Consequently, why are Community Revitalization Department staff squandering our tax dollars on homes purchased for up to $130,000? And, why are they purchasing homes that require as much as $90,000 for rehabilitation? After all, isn't it our Federal tax dollars that they are squandering in some instances? http://www.homesteps.com/cgi-bin/formsearch.cgi

Nelson Self Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Resident Joined: Aug 17 2009 Status: Offline Points: 144	Post Options Post Reply Quote Nelson Self Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Aug 07 2010 at 12:19am
	What a local government that we have ??

Mike_Presta Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Council Joined: Apr 20 2008 Location: United States Status: Offline Points: 3483	Post Options Post Reply Quote Mike_Presta Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Aug 12 2010 at 6:00am
	Okay! For all of you wizards out there who think that I am an idiot and out of touch, I beg your help!!! PLEASE help me understand!!! Please explain to me why our city government: Refuses to allow proven developers or business people to attempt legal businesses, using their own financing or investing their own money, based on their visions for the future and based on sound economic principles. Insists on finding individuals *who must be PAID* to implement variations of FAILED models of business that have no record in our city of promoting economic growth, increasing local employment, or of adding to the local income tax base, and must do so using financing from taxes confiscated from the working poor and middle class with little hope of any return on such investment. Has, in effect "OUTLAWED" any businesses which use skilled mechanical or building trades, or manufacturing processes, or any "non-snob appeal" type enterprises from most areas of our city, and especially from the urban core where the need for such jobs is most important and urgent!!! Can someone explain this to me please? *ANYONE???*
	“Mulligan said he ... doesn’t believe they necessarily make the return on investment necessary to keep funding them.” …The Middletown Journal, January 30, 2012

VietVet Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List MUSA Council Joined: May 15 2008 Status: Offline Points: 7008	Post Options Post Reply Quote VietVet Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Aug 12 2010 at 6:49am
	Wild guess here........Kohler, Gilleland, Robinette, and others want to control the monies doing it the PAC way so that they can channel the money where they want it and possibly do their "creative, lose the money in other budgets financing" rather than have a private entrepeneur come in with their own financing, leaving the city out of the equation as to the types of businesses they want to see here and the control of developmental monies??? Kohler, Gilleland, Robinette and others want to change the "business climate" of the town, taking it from a blue collar industrial/ manufacturing town to a service, artzy, "more cultural" town- (unbelievable knowing the demograhics of this town by the way- this town is about as non-cultural as it gets, yet they insist on force-fitting the concept) The puzzling thing to me is that on one hand, they want to create a "cultural zone" in the downtown area- BUT, at the same time, they are trying their best to make this town as noncultured as they can by inundating it with the Section 8 attraction of low income.?????? Very confusing logic. It' all about bringing fed revenue to town as opposed to job creation for revenue. Apparently, job creation takes too much time and effort for Robinette and company. Easier to offer the city as a prostitute for revenue generating, town destroying fed money programs that no on else wants in their city. Just guessing what is going through their .......well......minds? ( the minds word is up for debate) .... and what the object of their "control everything mentality" is.

Hermes Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Prominent MUSA Citizen Joined: May 19 2009 Location: Middletown Status: Offline Points: 1637	Post Options Post Reply Quote Hermes Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: Aug 12 2010 at 12:59pm
	A guess would be that no legitimate business is going to "pay the piper" to come to Middle-ville. Another guess would be that several "hands are in the cookie jar" so by inviting smaller and nonchalant type business to town they won't get their hands smacked and everything remains under the radar. In my pessimistic view there is no other reason for the operational misconduct of city leaders who continue to paint smiley faces on everything they do. It has to be one of two reasons.....1. They are all complete and total idiots......2. One,maybe two or more are enjoying the fruits of their "illegal conduct" by misappropriation of funds,illegal kick-backs or outright embezzlement. If anyone has a better explanation for why and how this city is run I'd love to hear it.
	No more democrats no more republicans,vote Constitution Party !!