City Votes To Join County’s Land Bank

Washington City Council met Thursday for their voting meeting and approved a measure to join the Washington County Land Bank. The Land Bank is operated by the Washington County Redevelopment Authority. According to Executive Director Bob Griffin the land bank is an excellent tool to use in the fight against blight. Griffin says that many of the properties purchased by the land bank are in foreclosure and the land bank makes acquisition that way. They then rehabilitate the properties, removing blight conditions, put them up for sale for individual owner purchase. The purpose is to get the homes back on the active tax rolls. Mayor Scott Putnam says that it is a good partnership for the city. The land bank will allow the city to keep its housing stock steady and receive tax revenue from those sales and the city can concentrate on demolition of structures that cannot be rehabilitated. Main Street Manager Shana Brown reported that her next event happening in the city is a Cocoa Tour scheduled for February 11. March 10 will be Washington Goes Irish Day and May 6 will be the inaugural Running of the Wools, sponsored by Range Resources.