STATEHOUSE—Rep. Woody Burton’s (R-Whiteland) legislation to help rid local communities of abandoned buildings, while also lowering the burden on taxpayers passed out of the House today with a 93-0 vote.
House Bill 1174 would allow local governments to hire a broker to sell real property directly, rather than using a bid process.
In order to do so, the property would have to be up for bid for a minimum of 60 days with either no bid received or accepted by local officials. In addition, local officials would have to publish a notice to hire the broker.
“I have been working with the Mayor Fred Paris of Franklin and Pleasant Township Assessor MaryAnn Powell on this legislation for some time now,” said Rep. Burton, “because local government officials have indicated that they want more flexibility in the sale process so that unused buildings can be sold quickly.
“I agree with their concerns because the longer those buildings sit un-obtained, the more costly it is for taxpayers, and for no reason.”
A section was inserted into the legislation in order to prevent favoritism in picking a broker for the property sale, by requiring the sale to be entered into public record.
House Bill 1174 will now be sent to the Senate for further consideration. If passed by both chambers, the legislation will go into effect July 2011.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this piece of legislation or any other legislative matters, you can reach Rep. Burton at 1-800-382-9841 or via email at H58@in.gov.
