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...
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