HOULTON, Maine — What, if anything, should the town do about a number of derelict buildings in the Shiretown?
That was the question on the minds of Houlton Town Councilors Monday evening as several pieces of property were discussed for potential foreclosure, stirring considerable debate among the five councilors in attendance.
Ten properties were brought before the council as individual agenda items for discussion, with Houlton Town Manager Butch Asselin recommending waiving the foreclosure process on each of the properties. In so doing, the town would essentially be putting off the foreclosure process for one year, in the hopes that back taxes could be collected.
The date for foreclosure is Monday, Nov. 14, according to Houlton Tax Collector Lauren Asselin.
Individuals who do not pay property taxes first have a lien placed on their property, Lauren Asselin explained. That step typically results in payment of taxes owed, but for those that still do not pay, the town must either begin the foreclosure process or waive the tax lien, which essentially puts the problem off for one year.
Once a lien is recorded, it takes 18 months for the foreclosure to take effect. The town can also take the owner to small claims court, but that step has not been needed for the past four years because owners have either settled their accounts or the foreclosure was waived.
The town does not currently own any residential properties, Lauren Asselin said.
“We are not in the real estate business, so we don’t want to own anyone’s property,” Lauren Asselin said.
Asselin said this year she sent out notices to 79 owners who have had liens placed on their properties.
“A lot of those properties are the same ones every year,” she explained. “People wait until they get their notice and then they pay.”
The 10 properties discussed Monday evening by the town council were ones that had not paid taxes dating back to 2014 and were targeted as “potential problems” should the town take over ownership of them. One of the properties in question was the site of a methamphetamine bust, while others have been vacant for a number of years and have deteriorated considerably.
In their discussion, councilors agreed to waive the foreclosure process on some, but not all of the parcels of land in question. Those residences that were occupied received a waiver, but many of the vacant buildings did not.
Councilors Sue Waite-York and Jane Torres voted in opposition of waiving the foreclosure process for five of the properties discussed, resulting in a 2-2 tie. Chairman Matt Carr attempted to break the tie by voting in favor of the waivers, but because the town charter specifies that a motion needs four votes in the affirmative to pass, the waivers to those five properties were not granted.
“If we waive the foreclosure [process] are we overburdening the town with these homes that are just falling into the ground,” Torres asked. “Nobody is ever going to live in some of these places [in their current condition]. Can we take a property, bulldoze the house and then sell the property? Some of these houses are at the point where they need to come down.”
Torres added she felt the council would be doing a disservice to the community by ignoring the condition of some of the properties in question. She added the derelict buildings can also have a negative impact on property values of neighboring homes.
Carr said the town, in his opinion, should not be taking on ownership of any residential properties.
“We are not a development corporation, we’re a town,” Carr said. “We can’t develop all of these properties. I think the costs would easily outrun the sales.”
Butch Asselin said there are no funds in the current budget to cover the “substantial cost” of doing demolition to properties and he advised against the town taking ownership of these particular properties because of their condition.
“Owning a property presents a serious liability to the town,” he said. “If someone goes onto the property and gets hurt, we are the ones responsible. That is one of the reasons why we waive [foreclosure.]”
The town manager said he visited most of the properties in question and, in his opinion, the town should not foreclose on them because of their condition.
“I have gone and looked at these properties and we really don’t want them,” he said. “People leave them because they don’t want them because of the condition they are in.”
Lauren Asselin said many of the properties in question were abandoned by their owners, with some reverting to mortgage companies who have tried unsuccessfully to sell the properties through the auction process.
