§ 2-173. Land bank established.

(a)

Establishment. The unified government, by the power vested in it by K.S.A. 19-26,103 et seq., hereby establishes a county land bank. The land bank will be the centralized point of contact for individuals, neighborhood groups and developers interested in acquiring developable vacant and abandoned land in the county. The land bank will be guided in its affairs by a board of trustees.

(b)

Board of trustees. The land bank board of trustees shall consist of an 11 member board comprised of the mayor/chief executive and the commissioners of the unified government.

(c)

Staff.

(1)

The land bank staff shall be as furnished by the unified government.

(2)

The professional staff of other unified government departments/divisions, including, but not limited to, parks and recreation, building inspection, base mapping, data processing, economic and community development, neighborhood resource center and the office of the chief counsel will be utilized as required.

(d)

Property acquired. For any property acquired by the land bank, the trustees shall:

(1)

Manage, maintain and protect same;

(2)

Compile and maintain a written inventory of such property;

(3)

Study, analyze and evaluate potential, present and future uses for such property which would provide for its effective reutilization;

(4)

Plan for and use the board's best efforts to consummate the sale or other disposition of such property upon such terms and conditions deemed appropriate;

(5)

Establish and maintain records and accounts reflecting all transactions, expenditures and revenues relating to the banks activities; and

(6)

Develop such policies and procedures as the board determines reasonable and necessary to effectuate the purposes of the land bank.

(e)

Property available for inclusion. Property available for inclusion in the land bank shall include, but not be limited to:

(1)

Parcels of tax delinquent property foreclosed on by the county pursuant to K.S.A. 79-2401 et seq., and requested by the land bank board of trustees pursuant to its authority under K.S.A. 19-26,108(b). (Only property that has the potential for development within a reasonable period of time and has been accepted by the land bank board of trustees will be identified for inclusion in the land bank.);

(2)

Property currently held in the name of the unified government;

(3)

Parcels of property donated by other governmental entities;

(4)

Property purchased by the land bank board of trustees to complement properties previously identified to the land bank through other means; and

(5)

Property offered to and accepted by the land bank.

(f)

Incentives for the development of property. The land bank board of trustees may offer such incentives as it deems appropriate to encourage the development of land bank property.

(g)

Consultation with community groups and review of proposals.

(1)

The land bank staff shall consult with any neighborhood association/community group/business association that may be affected by a land bank development project and pass on to the land bank board of trustees the recommendations and concerns of such neighborhood associations/community groups/business associations.

(2)

Proposals will be reviewed by the land bank staff and forwarded to the land bank trustees along with the recommendations and/or concerns of affected neighborhood groups/business entities.

(h)

Operating funds. The unified government board of commissioners may advance operating funds to the bank to pay expenses of the board of trustees and the bank.

(i)

Annual report. The bank is required to make an annual report to the unified government board of commissioners showing receipts and disbursements from all funds under its control.

(j)

Money derived from the sale of property. Any money derived from the sale of property by the bank shall be retained by the bank. Any funds not immediately required for the purposes of the bank shall be invested in the manner provided by K.S.A. 12-1675.

(k)

Compensation of board members. Members of the board shall receive no compensation, but shall be paid their actual expenses in attending meetings and carrying out their duties as members of the board.

(Code 1988, § 27-2; Ord. No. R-21-99, §§ 1—11, 2-18-1999)