Birmingham Land Bank Authority

The Birmingham Land Bank Authority is a city-funded publicly-appointed group with the legal authority to waive delinquent property taxes and to acquire and consolidate abandoned properties in order to promote their redevelopment.

The idea of establishing a land bank in Birmingham had been discussed many times and was supported, in particular, by the Birmingham Land Reform Coalition.

Land banking was enabled in Alabama by a law passed in 2009 (Act 2009-738), enrolled into Section 24-9 of the 1975 Code of Alabama. A 2013 amendment, passed as Act 2013-249, expanded the powers of land banks.

For Birmingham, the land bank authority represents a key element of Mayor William Bell's "RISE Birmingham" initiative, which is to also involve streamlined code enforcement, a new property management code, and enforcement of environmental regulations as tools to combat blight and stabilize neighborhoods at risk of decline. Redevelopment efforts would be prioritized based on the recommendations generated in the Birmingham Comprehensive Plan's Community Framework Plans which cover the North Birmingham, Titusville and the western Birmingham communities of Smithfield, West End and Five Points West.

On May 6, 2014 the Birmingham City Council passed a resolution proposed by the Mayor's office to create the city's authority. The resolution established a 7-member board with four members appointed by the Council and three by the Mayor's office (one of whom may be the Mayor). A Citizens Advisory Board was also created, with representatives of each Council District appointed by their respective Council members. The authority's initial budget was created by transferring $370,000 from the city's capital projects budget. The total cost of implementing the "RISE Birmingham" initiative is estimated at $76.3 million.

One element of Birmingham's land banking policy gives residents an option of taking over vacant, delinquent properties which adjoin their own homes if they maintain the properties for three years. As of 2014 there are an estimated 16,000 delinquent properties, many of which have fallen delinquent due to oversights in transferring estates. The city has asked Legal Services of Alabama to assist residents with clearing up such oversights to help homeowners avoid unwanted seizures under the new law.

Members

• William Bell (as Mayor)
• John Cantelow, appointed by the Mayor (to replace Michael German)
• Marshall Anderson, appointed by the Mayor
• Charles Ball, appointed by City Council
• Gwendolyn Calhoun, appointed by City Council
• Heager Hill, appointed by City Council
• Adam Snyder, appointed by City Council

References

• Davis, Bryan (May 8, 2014) "Land Bank Authority passes, board will target blighted properties." Birmingham Business Journal
• Owens, Cody (June 4, 2014) "Birmingham’s fight against blight." Weld for Birmingham
• Vaughn, Wesley (August 12, 2014) "Birmingham has 16,000 tax-delinquent properties, and other takeaways from the BBA Land Bank Authority Seminar." The Birmingham News
• Bryant, Joseph D. (August 19, 2014) "A full house: Birmingham Land Bank Authority to be completed this morning, thousands of vacant properties await distribution." The Birmingham News