IN THE COUNTY LEGISLATURE OF JACKSON COUNTY, MISSOURI
Title
A RESOLUTION expressing the intent of the Legislature that the County develop a collaborative procedure with the City of Kansas City, Missouri, to assist in making title insurance available to County delinquent land tax sale purchasers.
Intro
RESOLUTION NO. 19915, July 9, 2018
INTRODUCED BY Crystal Williams, County Legislator
Body
WHEREAS, Jackson County and the City of Kansas City, Missouri have received comments from some purchasers of parcels at the annual delinquent land tax foreclosure sales conducted pursuant to chapter 141, RSMo, to the effect that that title companies are reluctant to issue, refuse to issue, or charge unreasonably high prices for issuance of an owner’s or lender’s policy of title insurance on such parcels; and
WHEREAS, as a result of such practical unavailability of title insurance, some potential tax sale purchasers are discouraged from bidding or, once the parcel is purchased, funding for structural improvements on the parcel is unavailable, greatly restricted, or unaffordable; and
WHEREAS, it is believed that increased owner and lender title insurance availability for such parcels may contribute to the stabilization of the neighborhoods where such parcels are located and, therefore, this topic is of great interest to Jackson County and the City of Kansas City; and,
WHEREAS, Jackson County and the City of Kansas City are working collaboratively to structure delinquent land tax foreclosure sale procedures which, if successful and implemented, it is believed in many cases would increase the availability of a reasonably priced owner’s policy of title insurance for a purchaser of a parcel purchased at such as sale and a reasonably priced lender’s policy of title insurance on parcels purchased at such a tax sale; and,
WHEREAS, it is anticipated that such a structure may include, without limitation, the following: utilization of additional title search tools, increased efforts for notification of sale to appropriate parties, efforts to revise current state regulatory limits on title insurance premiums for low value property, engagement of law firms, university law schools, and non-profit organizations to provide pro-bono assistance in title search, sale notification, and/or quiet title legal suits, engagement of one or more title companies through competitive bidding or exceptions thereto, consistent with Jackson County and the City of Kansas City procedures to provide title search and related services, and/or efforts to revise current state statutory provisions to increase limits for reimbursement of title search/commitments under judgments of foreclosure in such cases; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the County Legislature of Jackson County, Missouri, that it is the intent of the Legislature that Jackson County continue the collaborative effort with the City of Kansas City to structure such procedures, and negotiate a Cooperative Agreement with the City of Kansas City setting forth the terms and conditions, subject to approval by the Legislature, for actions, funding, implementation, and evaluation of the structure on a pilot or sample basis for the 2019 delinquent land tax sale, including, without limitation, the terms of any RFP for title company involvement.
Enacted and Approved
Effective Date: This Resolution shall be effective immediately upon its passage by a majority of the Legislature.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
______________________________ ________________________________ Chief Deputy County Counselor County Counselor
Certificate of Passage
I hereby certify that the attached resolution, Resolution No. 19915 of July 9, 2018, was duly passed on July 23, 2018 by the Jackson County Legislature. The votes thereon were as follows:
Yeas _________8__________ Nays ________0___________
Abstaining ______0_________ Absent _______1___________
______________________ _______________________________
Date Mary Jo Spino, Clerk of Legislature