And while the Eusey house is no more, the news tonight is that there are approximately 2070 other abandoned properties throughout Belize City. It's a problem that the City Council is making major efforts to solve but those efforts could leave some irresponsible property owners fighting for adequate compensation.
Tonight, I'm taking a look at the City Council's Abandoned Property forum, and their effort at transparency before embarking on this City-wide project to clean up derelict properties and get them into the hands of owners able and willing to pay property tax. Here's more.
Did you know the city has 2000+ lots valued at over $45,000,000.00 for the city council this represents 9.6 million dollars in unpaid property tax?
Bernard Wagner, Mayor, Belize City
"How did we reach here folks? How did we reach here, where in the city of Belize, we have over 2000+ abandoned lots that is the question right, how did we reach here? Right, it didn't happen overnight. This has been a systematic neglect, by past councils by past mayor and it has just left to deteriorate to a point where we can't allow it to continue."
Now, the city has a new strategy to try and recoup these lost earnings.
Troy Smith, Valuation Manager
"We have it by zones and I said 16 zones, and we break it by zones, for example, Zone 1, Zone 1 you might not know Zone 1 but Zone 1 is in the queen square Mesop area, 74 abandoned properties in Zone 1, that is a lot, we are in a small space which gives us a value of 4.5 million dollars in Market value, but watch the tax over 1 million dollars isn't paid and this is over the years. We are trying to find these owners we are trying to get these taxes collected but some to no avail. Zone 1-B.!-B is number 81 I think or 31 small area which is the Fort George, very small but look at the value of these properties, I showed you earlier they are high-end, low-end, medium end value. It yields over 3 million dollars in value which gives us a tax of 419,000.00 outstanding and growing, that is a huge amount of money outstanding, Zone 2-A because time, you can see the overall total is 2070 plus properties abandoned within Belize City and that yields a tax base of 9.6 million dollars that remains outstanding, that is a lot of money."
So will that mean there are no more auctions?
Well, the Council is proposing that - - after a period of lapse in taxes paid - they be able to acquire properties at an initial 25% market value with the remainder to then be paid to the owner at a later date.
Carla Patnett, City Planner
"The solution we are presenting to you tonight, properties have to be acquired at market value but we are proposing that that acquisition is placed in a suspended account again with the city, and that account is funded with a minimum of 25% of that market value sale, the city doesn't need to identify 100% of the proceeds. So if I were to use a tangible example, if we acquire the property Ms. Patnette showed us on Rocky Road for $50,000.00 at market value, the city is only required to allocate 25% of those funds immediately to place into that suspended account for the city. Once the property owner comes forward to claim thier compensation then the City can address the other 75% with them."
Seems like a rough deal for those seeking compensation, what will it mean procedurally?
William Lindo, Attorney-At-Law
"This process is governed or started by, once the council decides and convinces the minister of lands that this particular land is needed for a public purpose, what happens is that the Minister makes a declaration to that effect, that declaration is then published in the Gazette, a notice is also placed on the land itself. The purpose of that is to allow the property owner to have notification, these are the steps that the state is about to take. It provides the opportunity for the land owner to come and say well hey I don't want you to take away my land."
As it was explained last night, once there are two publications in the gazette, after the second publication the land is then vested in the state.
In. The period between the publication, the property owner can still make an appeal.
