....hmmm Lou Frangos and Gus Frangos can't seem to pay their taxes, either...LAND BANK!

http://www.cleveland.com/naymik/index.ssf/2011/11/its_about_time_cuyahoga_county.html

http://realneo.us/content/gus-frangos-president-and-general-counsel-cuyahoga-county-land-reutilization-corp-are-you-no

"Due to our incompetence at collecting money, we are passing the bad debt to our good customers."

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2012/01/regional_sewer_district_writes.html

And, guess what! New tool in the tool bag--secret NST (Neighborhood Stabilization Team) database that allows CDCs to control information on properties primarily to help clear title on properties for addition to LAND BANK!

Please see information collected at this site:

http://www.killthewaterbill.com/  (this site was posted in 2012 - no longer on line-see  archive http://web.archive.org/web/20130129224515/http://www.killthewaterbill.com/ ) 

Thanks to Tom Kelly for this website and his efforts to promote accountability.

Structure of NEORSD is much like structure of Land Bank--intentionally designed to prevent accountability:
http://realneo.us/content/does-gus-frangos-president-land-bank-deserve-b... (note: this post was deleted)

Archived link:

https://web.archive.org/web/20121016192919/http://realneo.us/content/does-gus-frangos-president-land-bank-deserve-be-foreclosed-upon

https://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/cuyahoga-county-land-bank-ethical-conflict-of-interest-county-corruption-c641571.html

According to a successful appeal, Cuyahoga County Land Bank officials got their hands caught in the cookie jar.

The Cuyahoga County Land Bank foreclosed on a business property valued at nearly $900,000 for delinquent property taxes in the amount of $ 37,889.90.

County Land Bank employees successfully foreclosed on the property and transferred the deed to the county land bank in preparation to cleanse the property of all liens - water, sewer, delinquent taxes, mortgages, etc.

Pretty good gig to get a property valued at nearly $900,000 for less than $40,000 owed in delinquent property taxes. 

I wonder whom the land bank officials had in mind to give this property to since the property went straight to the land bank without a sheriff foreclosure sale.

No right to redemption. No due process.

Louis Frangos- brother of Land Bank President Gus Frangos- owes more than this amount in delinquent property taxes and has yet to be land banked.

And Gus Frangos - President of the County Land Bank - appears to have his own issues paying property taxes. Will Gus Frangos land bank himself?

The mortgage holder appealed the land grab and the county land bank had to transfer the deed back to the original owner.

In the successful appeal, the appellate judge blasted the Cuyahoga County Land Bank, as quoted below:

" This void means that board proceedings are not conducted under any consistent, identifiable rules. The absence of any standard procedures leaves the board with unlimited discretion, and that can lead to unfairness because the parties have no idea what they need to do to vindicate their rights.  As a result, the board abused its discretion by ordering a remedy not prayed for in the only pleading allowed under its minimal procedural rules.

These were abuses of the board’s discretion and deprived the appellants of due process. "

 ** This case is an important victory to victims of the Cuyahoga County Land Bank.   If you find yourself victimized by the county's land bank, read the above appellate decision in its entirety to discover numerous issues with the legal process in the county's land bank.  **

Safeguard Properties expects to add 300 jobs with help of state tax credits

Safeguard Properties LLC, a provider of property preservation services and reporting on foreclosed properties for banks and mortgage companies, on Monday received state approvals for tax credits for the addition of a total of 300 jobs in Brooklyn Heights, Mentor and Valley View.

Safeguard told the state it expects to create 250 full-time positions in Cuyahoga County that would add almost $8 million to its annual payroll. The Ohio Tax Credit Authority approved a seven-year, 55% Job Creation Tax Credit for the company, Gov. John Kasich's office announced.

The state said Safeguard will add the jobs in Valley View and Brooklyn Heights, the suburbs where the company's current and prior headquarters, respectively, are located.

The state also approved a seven-year Job Creation Tax Credit for 55% of the state income tax paid by adding 50 full-time employees and $1.5 million in annual payroll in Mentor. Safeguard already has an operation at 8100 Tyler Blvd.

Diane Roman Fusco, Safeguard's director of public relations, declined comment on the company's plans.

http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2013/10/let_northeast_ohio_regional_se.html#incart_river

Only the little people pay fees....

How is it that the NEORSD or any public entity can "write off" bad debt? 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2012/01/regional_sewer_district_writes.html

Just wondering who exactly are these folks? Are the MAJOR outstanding bills due to companies, LLCs, or just mom and pop households? 

"Many of these are foreclosures," said Demmerle. "It's the second biggest amount," she said, comprising about 18 percent of the uncollectible accounts

http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2015/07/cleveland_water_departments_sh.html

Comment archived:

The  Utilities Committee is responsible for all matters related to Cleveland's water supply, sewage disposal, the municipal electrical light plant, telecommunications, public utility rates, railway and railroad operations, and the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District. This committee handles all issues pertaining to the city's Department of Public Utilities.

Chair: Terrell H. Pruitt 

Vice Chair: Dona Brady

Members: Tony Brancatelli

Brian Cummins

Martin J. Keane Mamie Mitchell

Michael Polensek

Did this group of elected officials make the decision to not pursue any remedy to the debacle or are they just window dressing? Since the rate hike in Cleveland is by now 82%, how have they managed constituents impoverished by the increase? More social services to plug the gap? Foodbanks? 

Remember this:http://www.cleveland.com/cityhall/index.ssf/2014/09/cleveland_water_department_fut.html

Will the Utilities Committee and Council continue to rubber stamp Jackson's rate hikes with no audit of the past debacles? They must be aware that via Cleveland Water, they not only represent the constituents in their wards, but many more ratepayers and water users throughout the region. 

Instead of opining, it would be helpful if the sad sad PeeDee (who is admittedly crippled by it's owner corporation (Newhouse) and has only a shadow of a newsroom left) would dog the city to uncover what the real agenda is here. Is Jackson flirting with privatization? Does money slosh over into other funds?

What are the real statistics? How many water mains have been repaired, how many mains replaced, how many water shut-offs? How many billing debacles resolved? Are we Detroit yet?

View on YouTube

B&H does not govern past due taxes or delinquent water bills. 

As for how many people, if everyone is in the same family, there is no limit.  How is family defined in Cleveland Codified Ordinance? 

§ 363.06  Family

   “Family” means one (1) or more persons related by blood, adoption or marriage, or a family foster home, living and cooking together as a single housekeeping unit, exclusive of house-hold servants. A number of persons, but not exceeding three (3) living and cooking together as a single housekeeping unit though not related by blood, adoption or marriage shall be deemed to constitute a family. A family foster home shall mean a family related by blood, adoption or marriage as defined above with no more than five (5) foster children.

So essentially, no limit on a family, which is loosely defined.  It is hard to prove as far as enforcement.  For example, that is my cousin, we are related by marriage…….that is family.

If you have people that are not related by blood, adoption, or marriage, it is 3 per dwelling unit.

If it is a foster home, all of the “family” can live there in addition to no more than 5 foster children.

Ayonna Blue Donald

Director

Department of Building and Housing

601 Lakeside Avenue, Room 510

Cleveland, OH 44114

(216)664-2651 (office)

(216)857-5973 (cell)

adonald [at] city [dot] cleveland [dot] oh [dot] us">adonald [at] city [dot] cleveland [dot] oh [dot] us