minutes

Board of Assessment Appeals May 28, 2014 The Board of Assessment Appeals was brought to order by Chairman Garfinkel. Board Members present were: Chairman William Garfinkel, James Welsh, and Tom Burns. Staff present was City Assessor Cheryl Russell and Administrative Assistant Annette Hart. Agenda Additions/Deletions Mr. Burns moved for approval of the agenda which was seconded by Mr. Welsh and unanimously carried. Exemptions 2.A.2 The Milford Housing Development Corp. Location: 1361-1383 Walker Road & 1357 Walker Road BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS These parcels fall under State Statute 9 Del. C. §8105 Properties are exempt from Kent County Taxes as of April 2013. These properties are currently exempt with the City of Dover. The owner was required to come back again this year for review by the Board of Assessment Appeals. EXEMPTION REQUEST $464,300 $515,900 RECOMMENDED ACTION: Recommend that the request for exemption be approved. Mr. Huxtable, Vice President, was present for the hearing. Mr. Huxtable started by going over the organization’s mission which is to provide affordable housing for families of modest income. He also told the board that the homes on Walker Road were built 18-19 years ago and were purchased by The Milford Housing Development Corporation last year in hopes to renovate and rent these units out to low income families. Mr. Huxtable also stated that the organization is a Non- Profit organization and has the 501C3 Status. He provided the board with copies of the Exempt letter from Kent County, a copy of the

organizations 501C3 and a copy of the organization’s annual report. Mr. Huxtable told the board that the organization was granted tax credits to help with the renovation of the properties. He went on to explain that the organization has written a letter to the City Manager to discuss a possible PILOT program which could go into effect once the organization has purchased the third parcel and all three parcels have been combined into one parcel. Mr. Burns asked if the organization is currently in other PILOT programs. Mr. Huxtable stated that this will be the first time they engage in such a program. Mr. Burns expressed his concern about the outside conditions of the parcel, he told Mr. Huxtable that he drove through the development the morning of the hearing and was surprised about the trash, weeds, and uncut grass. Mr. Huxtable explained the lengthy process the organization has to go through to get the proper funding and zoning. In Mr. Burn’s opinion no funding should be needed to power wash the siding, fix windows or door screens. He pointed out that the organization, according to the annual report provided by Mr. Huxtable, has plenty of volunteers that could perform these tasks. Mr. Huxtable assured that he will talk to the property management company regarding the conditions of the property. Mr. Burns went on to tell Mr. Huxtable that he more than likely will be back before the Board next year, and would like to see that the organization has improved the outside conditions of the property. Chairman Garfinkel asked about the PILOT programs with the City of Dover and Kent County, making sure that the organization is looking into that program. Mr. Huxtable assured that they are in contact with the City of Dover as well as Kent County regarding the PILOT program. Mr.Burns made the motion to accept the exempt request for one (1) year and the owner to contact the City of Dover Inspections Department for maintenance issues and that the owner meet with the City Manager to discuss the PILOT program with the City of Dover, which was seconded by Mr. Welsh. Motion passed 3-0 Meeting was adjourned at 9:45 A.M.