A majority of Batavia City Council members want city staff to continue studying a plan to turn over houses that have become delinquent in their taxes to a non-profit organization for rehabilitation.
Setting up such a process -- whether it involves creating a new non-profit corporation run by the city or working directly with Habitat for Humanity -- will require additional staff research time, legal expense and potentially staff time to manage any new program.
Councilman Tim Buckley wanted to table the proposal, saying the city has too many other bigger priorities, but the consensus of the council during last night's conference meeting was to ask City Manager Jason Molino to conduct further research.
Council President Marianne Clattenburg said she saw the program as an opportunity to prevent more housing units from falling into low-end rental units and become better maintained owner-occupied homes.
Councilman Sam Barone, who works with Habitat for Humanity, sometimes has trouble buying a house at auction because they get out bid.
A partnership on housing rehabilitation would allow the designated non-profit to buy the house before it goes to auction.
However, the council also discussed the fact that nothing prevents Habitat from reaching out to a tax-delinquent property owner before a house goes up for auction and paying the back taxes in exchange for the property deed.
Only about three homes per year fall into delinquncy and go up for auction.
