Lynn Council president wants public property sales process revamped

By David Liscio -- The Daily Item
Friday, September 19, 2003
 

"We've got to get these properties back on the tax roll," Cowdell said Thursday. He has begun distributing a list with seven points that he said are key to the issue and should be adopted.

Among them: The council's Public Property Committee must maintain a list of all residentially-zoned lots of less than 2,000 square feet and submit it to the Lynn Housing Authority (LHA) for review and possible inclusion in the agency's "Add a Yard" program. The LHA would return a recommendation within 21 days.

Cowdell also wants all parcels on the list submitted to city department heads for their review over the next 21 days to determine if they have any need for them.

Additionally, the council president is advocating that the city immediately hire an auctioneer to sell off the remaining properties, but not before each is reviewed by a real estate attorney to eliminate any potential problems with the sale. The buyer would pay for the auctioneer's commission.

"It wouldn't cost the city," said Cowdell, noting that the auctioneer would handle the advertisements, contact abutters and keep a record of these activities.

The council president said the public auctions must be held every 30 days, using the same methods until all properties have been sold.

"As new properties come into tax-title, they, too, can be added to the list and be auctioned as expeditiously as possible, but in no event beyond 60 days," he said.

Money generated from the property sales would be returned to the city's general treasury.

"We're 100 percent behind him," said Kevin Donahue, executive director of the Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce and an advocate of selling public lands at open auction rather than through seeking requests for proposals.

"Jim ran this past us and it incorporates a lot of what we have been proposing," he said. "I've got to say, Jim is showing a lot of initiative and leadership. This whole property thing has languished for a while. Jim has made a commitment to get these properties back on the tax-paying rolls and get them into the hands of people who will take care of them. We have to get rid of the blight."

The points raised by Cowdell will be formally presented at a special meeting of the Public Property Committee at City Hall on Sept. 30.

"The council order I'm submitting would ensure that a computerized list of the tax-title properties is maintained, especially as more properties become available, and that it is provided to the council on the last Friday of each month," Cowdell said. "The city should not be in the real estate business, and as soon as these properties get on the list they should be going up for sale."

The prospect of giving the LHA jurisdiction over the lots of less than 2,000 square feet for the agency's "Add a Yard" program would require deed restrictions in order to prevent unwanted use of the land. In other words, if the land is sold to expand a yard or make room for a garden, it must only be used for the purpose.

"The premise here is to get rid of all the property we have and develop a system so that on a regular basis it continues to happen," Cowdell said.

Public Property Chairman Richard Colucci could not be reached for comment. Colucci has publicly said he supports hiring an auctioneer.

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Undermanned Lynn department struggles with permit backlog

By Thor Jourgensen -- The Daily Item
Friday, September 19, 2003

After losing two employees to retirement, the city Building Department is struggling to reduce a growing backlog of permit applications, some 21/2 months old.

Deputy Building Commissioner Edmund Blaisdell and Administrative Assistant Nancy Amenta retired in July, leaving Commissioner Francis Calnan with three inspectors and three clerks to process an average of 200 applications a week.

The applications include requests to inspect business locations before granting permits; review requests scheduled for Zoning Board of Appeals hearings; checks on code violation complaints and local churches, schools and nursing homes inspections.

The department has managed to process some applications in three weeks, but others filed in early July, even June 30, have yet to be approved.

Calnan said his department's workload is as big as it has ever been in his 20 years as a city employee.

"We've actually closed the door and locked it some days so people could go to the bathroom. We've never done that since I've been here," he said.

The permit backlog is not news to the Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce and Lynn Business Partnership. Both organizations since 1999 have unsuccessfully urged the city to reorganize departments to streamline the permit process.

Ironically, the retirements that have left the Building Department and other offices shorthanded prompted Mayor Edward J. Clancy Jr. to begin focusing on the permit problem.

Up to 64 city workers are slated to retire by the end of the year under a one-time, state-sanctioned early retirement plan. Clancy sees the exodus of veteran city workers as an opportunity to reorganize and coordinate the services of city offices that review permits.

Clancy wants to assign a city official already handling permit reviews the additional job of making sure departments process permits in a timely fashion.

"We won't be creating another layer of bureaucracy," he said.

Despite the retirements, the Building Department has processed 204 permits since July 1 - almost the same number it processed last year.

An increase in new housing construction has also required the inspectors' attention.

"New houses require a lot of review," Clerk Kathy Collins said.

Some permits, including those for roofing and siding projects, are processed by the department in two to three weeks. But other requests take longer.

The chamber has suggested the city adopt eight changes aimed at speeding up the permit process, including requiring clerks to carefully check permit applications to ensure all necessary information has been provided by the applicant.

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