The Evansville Brownfields Corporation (EBC) currently has no paid staff and a Board of Directors that consists of seven members. The City of Evansville has historically funded the EBC to the tune of $50,000 to $100,000 annually with the occasional contribution that has been significantly more.
The EBC buys, or accepts as gifts, primarily vacant lots within the City of Evansville. The nonprofit maintains the lots with the goal of ultimately selling the properties for development. In addition to direct funding from the City, the EBC receives periodic infusions of cash from the Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD) with Housing and Urban Development (HUD) dollars. The annual revenue of EBC is typically in the $200,000 to $400,000 range.
As the City Council considers an annual contribution to the EBC that could top $2 million dollars for the foreseeable future, there are changes that must occur within the EBC to gain the trust of elected officials and the public.
The current EBC Board, by its bylaws, consists of the Director of the DMD, two appointments by the Mayor with one being a City Council member, an appointment by the Growth Alliance of Greater Evansville, an appointment by the Evansville Chamber of Commerce, and two appointments that are made by the other five members. The bylaws do not require regular meetings outside of the annual meeting each March or that the meeting date, location and time be made public.
As the City moves forward with a blight elimination plan, it is important that the public buy into the process and trust that public funds are being managed appropriately. Almost as bad as impropriety, is the appearance of impropriety. The EBC must avoid this appearance. The EBC can avoid the appearance of impropriety and gain technical knowledge from relevant practitioners in the community by expanding its Board of Directors, creating committees that advise the Board of Directors and setting a regular monthly meeting that is publicized.
The current bylaws should be changed, and the Board of Directors should be expanded to thirteen members appointed to three year terms as follows:
The Mayor appoints one at their discretion;
City Council appoints one of its members;
County Council appoints one of its members;
County Commissioners appoints one of its members;
The County Auditor or their designee;
The County Treasurer or their designee;
The County Assessor or their designee;
The Building Commissioner or their designee;
A representative from Community One/Habitat for Humanity or Echo Housing;
A representative from Memorial CDC or CAPE;
A representative from the Southern Indiana Builders Association;
A representative from the Board of Realtors or the Evansville Association of Area Realtors; and
A representative from HOPE;
The Auditor determines when properties are tax delinquent, the Assessor determines property values and has significant mapping capabilities, the Treasurer will oversee the sale of vacant and abandoned properties under the new statute (SB 415), the County and City representatives determine funding, the Building Commission inspects properties and determines what must be razed and what can be rehabbed, and the practitioners listed are involved in every aspect of either building, selling, marketing, or rehabilitating residential structures. All are critical to the mission to eliminate blight.
Although it has been stated that blight is finite that is not necessarily true. As we eliminate existing blighted structures over the next five years, more properties are at risk of becoming blighted. Without citizens involved on the ground to monitor structures in their neighborhood and strategic code enforcement, we could end up with a never ending supply of blight. It’s critical that committees exist to identify blight, neighborhoods that are trending to blight and the causes of blight, which typically starts with vacancy. There should initially be at least one committee of citizen advisors representing the different areas of the City and County to coordinate with neighborhood associations and monitor properties in their area.
The funds contemplated for EBC for 2016 as provided by the DMD are as follows:
Acquisition Costs with taxes 210,000
Title services 100,000 (closing costs, title searches, etc.)
Demolition/Boarding 1,000,000
Trash removal/Mowing 250,000
Legal Costs 275,000 (quiet title actions, contracts, etc.)
Miscellaneous 25,000
Salaries with payroll taxes 200,000 (3 full time employees)
Benefits 30,000
Utilities 20,000 (% of DMD expenses)
Vehicle/Gas/Insurance/Maint30,000
Training/Education/Travel 5,000
Office Supplies 5,000
Contractual services 120,000 (web development, inspections, surveying,
appraisals, accounting services, etc.)
In looking at the causes of vacancy and blight and the coordination of strategic code enforcement to protect stable neighborhoods and rebuild declining neighborhoods, it is hoped that true practitioners with experience in land banking will be hired and able to look at preventing blight while coordinate the work of the EBC with the City and County.
It is critical that these final pieces of infrastructure be put in place before the City and County are asked to fund the EBC’s new budget. We cannot and should not have to live with the fear, reasonable or not, that these resources could be squandered. These changes would build public trust and avoid the appearance of impropriety while making the EBC accessible to everyone and giving it a wealth of practitioner knowledge to achieve our common goal of healthier, safer and more stable neighborhoods.
Where do I apply for one of those 66,666.66 bucks a year jobs??
You should go for the $275,000 in legal cost. That would pay better per hour. That might get cut though because why would you need title work on a lot no one wants. Let the developer pay that if there is ever a developer.
Why mix the good with the bad? If we need a Land Bank (we don’t) start a Land Bank. Then let the EBC do its thing behind closed doors with their own money – not our taxes and grant funds.
A sound Corporate structure capable of “Constructing”– a Future. —Bravo SBR!
They should also have an appointment from United Neighborhoods of Evansville (UNOE) to be a representative for the actual neighborhoods these plots are located in.
These plots will be all over Vanderburgh County. Everyone appointed, if they are truly community minded, will be an active member of their local Neighborhood association. Wouldn’t they?
They should be, but not always.
Our local boards that make land decisions (primarily Area Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals) have always had a serious lack of representation by people who are focused on or interested in land use issues, a subject that is always of high importance when a plot comes up for change in a neighborhood (for example, any change from Residential or Agricultural to Commercial).
IMHO, there are far too many APC and BZA members who do not pay attention to the wishes of the very neighborhood people who represent the majority of homeowners in the issue at bar. The opinions of the realty companies and home builders (for example, the Southern Indiana Homebuilders Association called SIBA) have sadly seemed to have taken precedence over the people that actually LIVE next to developing plots.
SBR’s suggestions are eminently reasonable. They will be either ignored or co-opted/diluted to the point of losing all efficacy.
Lol. I know. But I can just let it go when it happens these days.
Thanks for offering a reasonable solution to an unreasonable situation, Councilwoman! My only hope for the implementation of your plan is that I believe the Riecken administration will follow good advice.
Yep. That would be SOP Evansville
with 4 members of the council with nothing to lose and at least one member who is a shoe in for reelection, why don’t they get it in gear and leave Evansville better than they found it?
Keep DMD out of the real-estate business. The county has been a Land Bank for as long as it has been a county. Let the Building Commission handle the Demolitions and weed or grass mowing and county handle the property transactions. Saving of over a million per year to actually DEMO or repair.
Thanks Stephanie
Your continuing interest in and actions on behalf of the taxpayers is appreciated. Mr Lumley seems to have a firm grasp of the situation. It might be of great value for the two of you to work together on this.
Again: thanks! …
To bad George is wrong
Come on Steph, run as an independent in the mayoral race, you’ve got my vote!
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