Title
Calling upon the Pennsylvania Senate to pass House Bill 1682, without amendment, and further calling upon the Governor to immediately sign it into law.
Body
WHEREAS, Strong communities are important to the social and economic vitality of the Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, Many communities within the Commonwealth are struggling to cope with vacant, abandoned and tax delinquent properties; and
WHEREAS, Vacant, abandoned and tax delinquent properties impose significant costs on neighborhoods, communities and municipalities by lower property values, increasing police and fire protection costs, decreasing tax revenues and undermining the quality of life for those residing therein; and
WHEREAS, In the City of Philadelphia there exist approximately 60,000 vacant lots and vacant structures, the majority of which are abandoned and tax delinquent ; and
WHEREAS, In the City of Philadelphia there are nearly 70,000 properties that are two or more years tax delinquent; and
WHEREAS, In the City of Philadelphia the majority of the vacant abandoned and tax delinquent properties remain in private ownership and represent a blighting influence in every neighborhood where they exist; and
WHEREAS, The current sheriff sale process is an ineffective tool for acquiring these properties and making them available for redevelopment; and
WHEREAS, There is an overriding public need to confront the problems caused by vacant, abandoned and tax delinquent properties through the creation of new tools to enable municipalities to turn vacant, abandoned and tax delinquent properties into productive assets and vibrant places; and
WHEREAS, It has been proven in other states that land banks are a tool that municipalities may use to facilitate the return of vacant, abandoned and tax delinquent properties to productive use; and
WHEREAS, House Bill 1682 authorizes the creation of municipal land banks which empowers municipalities of this Commonwealth to efficiently acqui...
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