Commissioners of Muskogee County, Oklahoma are planning to go through a list of surplus real estate, which may amount to hundreds if not thousands, that have been taken off to the tax rolls in order to determine which of the questioned properties are worth keeping and which of them can be conveyed to municipalities.
The initiative was done due to the desire to save money, to remove eyesores from the communities where the county-owned parcels are located, and to boost ad valorem revenue. The review of the surplus real estate could also be utilized to know which of the property can have a resale value.
Muskogee Phoenix reported that Ken Doke, Commissioner for District 1, has estimated an annual savings amounting to $250,000 if the county-owned property was conveyed to municipalities or sold. He also said the municipalities have more flexibility in putting back the home to private-ownership.
"I just think we should look through these properties to see if there is anything we want to hold on to and which ones we can give away," said Doke. "Some of the town officials I have talked to would like to see something done with these properties - more roof tops means more money for the schools."
Commissioner Doke's idea of having a program to provide help for the conveyance and future development of parcels that have no value to the county is agreed by Commissioners Kenny Payne of District 3, and Stephen Wright of District 2. The two commissioners also said that a thorough review is necessary before the return of the real estate back to private ownership and on the tax rolls.
"Before we do that, we need to look at the proximity of those parcels to any development," Payne said about the idea of conveying real estate to municipalities. "I think we have some properties we need to hold on to - it would [be] bad business on our part if we gave them away without looking at these and going through them with a fine-tooth comb."