RESOLUTION NO. 250881
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Sponsor: Councilmember Melissa Hazley Patterson
RESOLUTION - Directing the City Manager to enter into negotiations with Neighborhood Legal Support of Kansas City to establish a pilot program providing legal services to neighborhoods to identify dangerous structures in the City that can be adequately repaired, spare such properties from demolition and other City abatement costs and convert the same to quality, affordable housing.
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WHEREAS, pursuant to Chapter 56, Article V, Kansas City Code of Ordinances, “Dangerous Buildings or Structures,” the City may order dangerous buildings, i.e., those detrimental to the life, health, property, safety or welfare of the public, to be vacated, demolished or repaired, and may abate such conditions at City’s cost if the owner fails to do so; and
WHEREAS, the City incurs substantial costs to abate such dangerous conditions, averaging between over $8,000.00 and approximately $16,000.00 per demolition during the last three fiscal years, with associated neglect at such properties often producing repeated calls for service for additional nuisance, property maintenance, illegal dumping and/or trespass violations, for which City regularly incurs separate enforcement and abatement costs; and
WHEREAS, a non-profit law firm, Neighborhood Legal Support of Kansas City (“NLS”) proposed to the City Manager a pilot program for repair of 15 properties in the City with dangerous buildings, at a rate of approximately $6,000.00 per property, whereby NLS would represent neighborhood associations in Missouri Abandoned Housing Act or other legal proceedings and assist neighborhood associations either to obtain repair by owner or reclaim control of such properties and connect them with a rehabilitation specialist who will repair their dangerous conditions and convert them to quality, owner-occupied, affordable housing; and
WHEREAS, it is in the best interest of the City to spur broader repair of dangerous buildings at a reasonable cost, thereby protecting the public from dangerous conditions and nuisances, reducing blight, minimizing City’s enforcement and abatement costs and preserving affordable housing stock in the City; and
WHEREAS, such a pilot program promises these public benefits at a lower overall cost than City typically expends to abate conditions on dangerous properties, and, if such program is successful, might serve as a model for City to expand those public benefits more broadly throughout the City; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF KANSAS CITY:
That the City Manager is hereby directed to enter into negotiations with Neighborhood Legal Support of Kansas City (NLS) to establish a pilot program for the provision of legal services on behalf of neighborhood associations in the City, whereby NLS will, at a total cost no greater than $6,000.00 per parcel, identify up to 15 parcels with structure(s) deemed dangerous by the City and, via the Missouri Abandoned Housing Act or other legal remedies, advocate for such neighborhood associations to effectuate the repair of such properties and abatement of all City Code violations and conversion of the same to quality, affordable housing.
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