Shenandoah council members recently approved a resolution that allows the borough to participate as a buyer at Schuylkill County judicial property sales.
The resolution is seen as a way to combat blight – which plagues large portions of Shenandoah – by essentially, taking ownership of it.
Borough Manager Mike Cadau explained that every time the Shenandoah is forced to do an emergency demolition on a blighted property that poses a public safety hazard it costs between $24-28,000.
Cadau believes if Shenandoah participates as a buyer at a Schuylkill County judicial sale, it could buy that many properties (24-28) for the same amount of money.
In asking for council members to approve the resolution, Cadau asked for $30-50,000 to act as a buyer at the next judicial sale.
“We own them. They’re free and clear from liens,” Cadau says. “That gives us the opportunity to start ripping blight down a helluva lot faster than through the normal process. It’s also going to save us a heckuva lot of money.”
Shenandoah says it will not compete against other local bidders – those from Shenandoah – at judicial sales.
Cadau says there’s one caveat to that. He said if another buyer gets one of the properties the borough was pursuing, the winning bidder will be presented with a letter stating they have 30 days to “do what we were going to do with this property” or be subject to a daily fine of $1,000.
“If we’re going to get aggressive on blight, this is probably one of the best ways,” Cadau says.
Councilwoman Katie Catizone questioned whether this approach adversely affects Shenandoah’s relations with the Schuylkill County Land Bank.
Cadau assured Catizone that it only enhances that relationship.
Council President Joe Boris says there are potentially 25 properties Shenandoah could acquire at the next judicial sale in October.
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