Peoria Standard

City of Peoria Land Bank Board met Aug. 8.

Here are the minutes provided by the board:

CALL TO ORDER

The Regular Meeting was held virtually, via GoToMeeting, beginning at 3:30p.m. City Manager Patrick Urich called the meeting to order at approximately 3:31p.m.

ROLL CALL

Roll call showed the following board members were present Randall Anderson-Maxwell, Council Member Denise Jackson, Council Member Beth Jensen, Marilyn Mosley, Council Member Zach Oyler, City Manager Patrick Urich, and Kimberly Washburn.

Absent were Treasurer Nicole Bjerke, Joe Dulin and Chrissie Kapustka.

Staff Present: Matt Smith and Lane Andrews

Quorum being established, the meeting proceeded as follows.

MINUTES

The minutes for the July 11, 2022, meeting were reviewed.

MOTION

Councilmember Beth Jensen moved that the minutes be approved. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Zach Oyler. Approved unanimously by viva voce vote.

REGULAR BUSINESS

A. Land Transaction Report for May and June 2022.

Matthew Smith, Land Manager, presented the Commissioners the Land Transaction Report for July 2022.

There being no further questions, comments, or need for action, the meeting continued to the next item on the Agenda.

B. Vacant Property Leadership Institute Scholarship – Policy Memorandum Presentation Nicole Bjerke arrived to the meeting at 3:55 pm.

Mr. Smith presented information from the Vacant Property Leadership Institute Scholarship meeting concerning strategies to combat vacant and abandoned properties within the city, including State law amendments that increase efficiency and reduce overall cost to taxpayers.

Randall Anderson-Maxwell asked for clarification on the current process for code violation fines when they are not attached to tax assessment of property. Mr. Smith explained that code violation fines are billed out to property owners and put into collections if not paid. Mr. Anderson-Maxwell supported adding abatement liens onto tax bills to increase collection rate

Councilmember Jensen offered support for the proposals presented by Mr. Smith, especially those which could be implemented without requiring changes to existing laws.

Councilmember Denise Jackson also supported the proposals and asked what percentage of cases submitted are abandonments. Mr. Smith responded that an exact percentage is not known, but in the most recent group of properties submitted to the Legal Department, approximately 90% are abandoned.

Councilmember Oyler agreed with Councilmember Jensen’s statements, reiterating that they were good options to pursue.

Councilmember Jensen inquired about the next steps for the Councilmembers in order to implement the policies. City Manager Urich described plan to work concurrently with lobbyists and the municipal league to raise awareness and support for the proposals.

There being no further questions, comments, or need for action, the meeting continued to the next item on the Agenda.

OTHER BUSINESS

There being no further questions, comments, or need for action, the meeting continued to the next item on the Agenda.

CITIZENS’ OPPORTUNITY TO ADDRESS THE BOARD

There were no comments from the public to the Board.

ADJOURNMENT

City Manager Patrick Urich entertained the motion to adjourn. Councilmember Jensen moved to adjourn. The motion was seconded by Randall Anderson-Maxwell. The meeting was adjourned at approximately 4:14p.m.

http://www.peoriagov.org/content/uploads/2020/03/08-08-2022-Land-Bank-Board-Meeting-Minutes_1664990859_add.pdf