With approximately 7,000 state-owned tax forfeited properties scattered throughout Mississippi — just over 1,800 of which are located in the City of Jackson — it seems local and state lawmakers are gearing up to take some action.
At the end of August, the Select Committee on Capital and Metro Revitalization, made up of 19 members from the Mississippi House of Representatives, held a meeting to listen to people who are fighting the issue every day, including code enforcement officers in Jackson’s Department of Planning and Development, officials from the Secretary of State’s office and local and county law enforcement.
Also at the meeting was Ward 5 Jackson City Councilman Vernon Hartley, who presented to legislators the city’s new “Abandoned Property Task Force.” Hartley said the task force is in the middle of drawing up a “master plan” and invited members of the committee to join. Additionally, he emphasized the need for outside funding, as the city has struggled to find the resources to adequately tackle the problem…