Council OKs Iorio’s Plan For Foreclosed, Abandoned Homes
By CHRISTIAN M. WADE | The Tampa Tribune Published: November 20, 2008 TAMPA - The Tampa City Council today gave a tentative nod to Mayor Pam Iorio’s plan to use $13.6 million in federal funding to buy foreclosed and abandoned homes — but not without criticizing the administration for keeping the council out of the loop. Councilman John Dingfelder said he has a lot of unanswered questions about how Tampa’s portion of $3.92 billion in neighborhood stabilization money will be used. “We haven’t had any input into this,” he said. Iorio’s plan calls for buying about 80 foreclosed homes that will be fixed up or torn down and resold. An additional 30 foreclosed properties will be bought with the money and rehabilitated as rental properties, requirements of the federal grant. Sulphur Springs, North Tampa and Old West Tampa have been identified as target areas based on the high rates of subprime mortgages, mortgage defaults and delinquencies. The city plans to work with nonprofit groups and charitable organizations to find eligible buyers. However, the money will not be available to homeowners facing foreclosure. The city’s plan for using the money must be submitted to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by Dec.1. Cynthia Miller, the city’s growth management and development services director, said the council will have input as the program gets under way. “It can be modified in the future,” she said. “You all get to make the final call.” Council members plan to hold a workshop and public hearing on the plan in January. “I’m not convinced we’re using the money in the right way,” Councilwoman Mary Mulhern said. “Demolishing houses doesn’t sound like what the government intended.” http://centraltampa2.tbo.com/content/2008/nov/20/council-oks-iorios-plan-foreclosed-abandoned-homes/news/
Can someone please explain this to me.
Our Country, our state, and our cities are BROKE! Yet, we have 13 million dollars to purchase abandoned homes. This is why our economy is in the crapper. Let me get this right. As a tax payer, I get to buy homes for the city to give to low income residents. Yet I can’t safely walk down by streets as we have no sidewalks. We are constantly threatened that TPD and other valuable services will be cut or downsized due to budget shortfalls. This is absolutely absurd. We the people need to take back our government and send a message to our elected leaders that we are sick of them spending our money and asking for more. My family is on a tight budget. If we can’t afford, we don’t buy. Iorio has got to follow the same model. Instead, we move an art museum a few feet away and spend millions, now we are wasting money on this. At what point does it stop? At this rate all of us hard working, tax paying people will lose our homes but the the welfare sucking, non working will be living free in our low income housing.
Vacant homes attract the sort of crime that will make nearby residents wish the city would just buy the house and rent it to a needy family. We are better off without vacant properties.
Or…The city could be held responsible for holding the owners liable (ie. the holding companies and banks) fine them if the homes are out of compliance and actually make money vs spend money. When we lived in DC, they had a very strict Neighborhood Enforcement department that would ticket homeowners, place liens, etc. They actually were a self funded unit and not a drain on the tax payers.
Or how about using that money to fix up the commercial corridors; i.e. sidewalks, lighting, planting, etc. stuff that is outside of the individual’s home owner’s ablity, but helps to improve thier property value.
Sandy Freedman as mayor torched the houses and took over the empty lots.
#1 AUUUGGGGHHHH!
Fingernails across a blackboard.