Requiring creditors to register foreclosed properties in DeKalb County has brought in more than $557,000 in just 10 months.
Nearly half of that money could soon be spent on jobs for five employees whose main task so far has been to maintain the list.
Supporters say that will demonstrate that the foreclosure registry, launched in October with federal funds, can pay for itself. But even staffers admit no code enforcement has been taken against any properties on the list, giving detractors ammunition to question the need for the registry.
“They’ve done nothing but build a half-million war chest,” said Robert Broome, government affairs director at the Atlanta Board of Realtors. “We’d rather see the county focus on blighted property, regardless of ownership, if you want to serve the real public interest.”
DeKalb had more than 18,000 foreclosure filings last year, the third-highest number in Georgia, when it launched the foreclosure registry. The intent was to make financial institutions maintain the properties and prevent blight.
More than 6,000 property owners have since registered and paid the $175 fee, money that was used to hire more code enforcement officers to enforce the registry.
Two officers were hired, along with two records technicians and a registry manager, using federal Neighborhood Stabilization Program money.
With those funds expiring next month, the county wants to begin paying those five jobs and benefits with registry fees.
Salaries alone will cost up to $267,564. All but the manager’s job, which pays up to $79,000, are limited to one year, though. The positions are to exist only as long as money keeps coming in.
“As the moneys dwindle in that account, we will examine the positions,” said Andrew Baker, the county’s interim planning director. “When the funds are no longer there, the positions will no longer be needed and will be eliminated.”
Baker added that DeKalb is in the process of updating its registry requirements, to show what code enforcement work is needed. Among those changes will be the need for an officer to inspect a property whenever the owner asks that it be removed from the registry.
Such detailed duties would have been required under legislation proposed by a state lawmaker from DeKalb in this year’s legislative session. The proposal, which also limited fees for registries to $100, is to come up again next year.
“I think it’s important to be able to defend our system in the Legislature, to show we are returning services for these fees,” said Commissioner Jeff Rader, chairman of the committee that reviewed the proposal on Tuesday.
The proposal is slated to be reviewed by the full commission later this month, with a vote possible by the end of September. Supporters hope to begin using registry funds to pay bills starting in October.
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