The difference with this house is that the owner has claimed it as her primary residence when she (or anyone) can not live in it since 2004. That's down right tax fraud. Additionally, it went through the normal procedure of inspection, and the court ordered the owner to transfer, sell, or fix the property in Jan 2007. The owner could have sold as is, but asked about three times the amount it was worth, and they ignored the court order. So, when she refused to even bring it up to code (or secure it), which is the responsibility of any home owners in a civilized society, she refused, and the court held her in contempt in Nov of 2008.
The city has not only lost out on lost tax revenue, but allowed an abandoned house to be claimed fraudulently as a residence. The court ordered the homeowner to pay a $500 per day fine beginning in November for contempt of court, and the city needs to collect that from the owner or their estate. I'm interested in finding out exactly where (and how) she lives while I smell her mold infested house next to mine, with what must be four feet of water in the basement. We had another long abandoned property on our block that was eventually claimed by the city, sold to a non-profit that did an outstanding job at renovation, and put it back on the tax rolls, provided city revenue from the sale, and put back into a safe environment for all. The mere $1400 per year in taxes the owner of 300 Lorraine=2 0pays per year would be recouped by the transfer tax alone on a single deed transaction if the city were able to convey the house or even vacant lot. Paul Williams -----Original Message----- From: Roderick Fry <roderick...@gmail.com> To: The Charles Village Chat List <chat@charlesvillage.info> Sent: Wed, 6 May 2009 8:50 pm Subject: Re: [Chat] Fwd: 300 E. Lorraine Street abandoned house status Or how about the fact that the city should be happy to receive any tax revenue from an abandoned house? The majority of abandoned properties in the city are not generating any tax revenue. Double this individual's tax bill, and they will likely stop paying their taxes. This will drive the property into tax sale and, based on the the current shape it is in, will quite possibly become another city owned property. Good luck finding a reporter that would do a story on this. How about one of the other tens of thousands of abandoned properties that are not generating ANY tax revenue? On Wed, May 6, 2009 at 8:43 PM, <dawnac...@mindspring.com> wrote: Paul:How about going to one of the investigative news reporters at Channel 11 or one of the other stations? Dawna -----Original Message----- From: oldhousehist...@aol.com Sent: May 6, 2009 8:13 PM To: Chat@charlesvillage.info, discuss...@charlesvillage.info Subject: [Chat] Fwd: 300 E. Lorraine Street abandoned ho use status Believe it or not, NO reaction from our elected and government personnel to my Sunday rant about the contempt of court case concerning the abandoned house at 300 E Lorriane! I'm now interested in how much tax revenue we have all lost from this house continuing to be taxed at an owner occupied rate, when in fact, its been completely abandoned since 2004, and the owner has been in contempt of court for six months. Despite a $500 per day fine imposed last November, she was allowed to pay property tax of just $650 in February: something is seriously out of sync in the city government, or the owner knows the right people at City Hall. Paul -----Original Message----- From: oldhousehist...@aol.com To: jason.hess...@baltimorecity.gov; marypat.cla...@baltimorecity.gov; michael.braver...@baltimorecity.gov; bernard.yo...@baltimorecity.gov; ugagra...@yahoo.com; donna.fairweat...@baltimorecity.gov; ma...@baltimorecity.gov Sent: Wed, 6 May 2009 7:51 pm Subject: 300 E. Lorraine Street abandoned house status Mayor Shelia Dixon: I have been pressing, complaining, and following the court case concerning the clearly abandoned and rapidly deteriorating property at 300 E. Lorraine Street in Charles Village to no avail. Sunday, I learned to my disgust, tha t this blighted property is being taxed at the owner occupied rate: no one can, nor has, occupied the house since 2004=2 0(even the vagrants have run away). I notified the people I've been working with for two years now with modest to no success (in the to: line above) on Sunday, and NOT ONE has replied, not even a polite reply saying work is in progress, concerning the myriad ongoing problems outlined below, which have been previously reported over two years ago now. So I ask you as mayor: Why is this house being taxed as a resident occupied house after 5 years as an abandoned property, and why has her contempt of court case not been enforced a full year later? The house was to have been torn down in December of 2007. How can the tax office accept a tax payment in February of this year, when she is in contempt of court to transfer sell or demolish the house, as condemned, and accept her claim that it is owner occupied? This is tax fraud, and the owner needs to be retroactively fined and taxed as an abandoned property. In my opinion, you all have failed us residents miserably, and I'm now going to the press20to expose this gross inaction. Paul -----Original Message----- From: paul Williams <oldhousehist...@aol.com> To: 'Hessler, Jason, "Acting Director, Code20Enforcement Legal"' <jason.hess...@baltimorecity.gov>; 'Clarke, Mary Pat (Baltimore City)' <marypat.cla...@baltimorecity.gov>; 'Braverman, Michael "Deputy Commissioner"' <michael.braver...@baltimorecity.gov> Cc: 'Young, Bernard (Baltimore City)' <bernard.yo...@baltimorecity.gov>; ugagra...@yahoo.com; 'Fairweather, Donna' <donna.fairweat...@baltimorecity.gov> Sent: Sun, 3 May 2009 8:04 pm Subject: RE: 300 E. Lorraine Street Ladies=2 0& Gentlemen! I’ve been patiently waiting for information from you all on this ongoing problematic vacant house (now full of mold) which I’ve been complaining about for years (see below). I had hoped to find resolution to the problem through the normal channels, as the court system was making progress in her contempt case. Today, I watched the rain pour into the basement from the back roof and noticed that the windows are so black with mold one can’t see inside. When I went to look the house up today (300 E. Lorraine – Square 3837, lot 66) on the real property tax database, imagine my anger at finding that the owner not only paid her taxes in February (on a condemned house where she is in contempt of court), but that she LISTED THE HOUSE AS HER PRICIPAL RESIDENCE. And, she got the residential tax rate (about $1400 per year), which I’m sure she has obviously been getting for several years, even with condemnation proceedings now over two years old. Nobody can, or has, lived in the house since 2004. We moved into an adjoining house facing the shared alley in 2003. Even the illegal vagrants moved out in 2004 because of the deteriorated condition. How can the city allow someone to claim this condemned property as her principal residence? She was found in contempt of court, and was subject to a $500 per day fine beginning in November of 2008. I was assured action by my elected officials for several years now, and thought our communication last November ensured that this house be torn down. Now I need to expose this illegal and embarrassing theft from our cit y coffers, and I intend on doing so by any public means possible, beginning with the media on Tuesday morning, unless I hear from you with its current status, the house is scheduled to be torn down, her $500 per day fine is being p aid, and she will be taxed retro-actively at the vacant rate; or otherwise assured that my city officials are doing their job. Paul Paul K. Williams 2629 Guilford Avenue Baltimore, MD 21218 BaltimoreMarylandHistory.com From: Hessler, Jason, "Acting Director, Code Enforcement Legal" [mailto:jason.hess...@baltimorecity.gov] Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 2:35 PM To: oldhousehist...@aol.com; Clarke, Mary Pat (Baltimore City); Braverman, Michael "Deputy Commissioner" Cc: Young, Bernard (Baltimore City); ugagra...@yahoo.com; Fairweather, Donna Subject: RE: 300 E. Lorraine Street Mr. Williams: The file was requested from the field and a contempt case was filed against Ms. Neal to enforce the court order that required her to raze, rehabilitate or transfer 300 E. Lorraine. I have not seen the returns from the District Court but we expect the initial hearing to be on November 25th, 501 E. Fayette Street between 8:30 a.m. -12p.m. Generally in a contempt case=2 0the court would provide the owner with a deadline to comply with the original order. A daily fine automatically applies (usually $500 per day) if the owner fails to meet the deadline. We will contact you when we have confirmed the court date. Jason Hessler, Esquire Acting Director Baltimore Housing Code Enforcement Legal Section 417 E. Fayette Street, #202 Baltimore, Maryland 21202 410-396-4140 Fax 410-385-8689 www.baltimorehousing.org CONFIDENTIALITY: This e-mail is confidential and is intended only for the named recipient(s) and may contain information that is p rivileged, attorney work product or exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you have received=2 0this message in error, or are not the named recipient(s), please immediately notify the sender and delete this e-mail message from your computer. -----Original Message----- From: oldhousehist...@aol.com [mailto:oldhousehist...@aol.com] Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 12:21 PM To: Clarke, Mary Pat (Baltimore City); Braverman, Michael "Deputy Commissioner"; Hessler, Jason, "Acting Director, Code Enforcement Legal" Cc: Young, Bernard ( Baltimore City); ugagra...@yahoo.com Subject: Re: 300 E. Lorraine Street Gentlemen; Its been more than two weeks since our inquiry, and Mary Pat nor I have heard even one email from you regarding this property. I'm rapidly going from a concerned citizen to an angry citizen. The property was ordered by the court to be torn down nearly a year ago. Taxpayers are losing money as it is listed as owner occupied in the tax rolls for the past 5 years, when in fact, its abandoned and uninhabitable. It sho uld prove to make for an interesting story to the media. Paul Williams -----Original Message----- From: Clarke, Mary Pat <marypat.cla...@baltimorecity.gov> To: Braverman, Michael "Deputy Commissioner" (City of Baltimore) <michael.braver...@baltimorecity.gov>; Hessler, Jason, "Acting Director, Code Enforcement Legal" (City of Baltimore) <jason.hess...@baltimorecity.gov> Cc: Young, Bernard <bernard.yo...@baltimorecity.gov>; oldhousehist...@aol.com Sent: Mon, 29 Sep 2008 9:26 am Subject: FW: 300 E. Lorraine Street Dear Mr. Braverman and Mr. Hessler, Could you please let us know the status of this property? When will it be either fixed or demolished? Thanks, Mary Pat (In Councilman Young’s district.) From: oldhousehist...@aol.com [mailto:oldhousehist...@aol.com] Sent: Saturday, September 27, 2008 12:48 PM To: Clarke, Mary Pat; ugagra...@yahoo.com Subject: 300 E. Lorraine Street Mary Pat! I've been reportin g and following the case of 300 E. Lorraine Ave, a house that is abandoned and sits right behinds ours. It is still listed and taxed as being owner occupied, despite its roof now having caved in, with all the roof water headed to the basement. It has slowly gone through the legal process and was supposed to be fixed up or torn down by December 2007! Alas, its still extant, and emails to the legal department go unanswered. It now if full of mold due to the water infiltration, and the rear walls20are collapsing. Can something be done about this property? Paul Williams 2629 Guilford Ave Find phone numbers fast with the New AOL Yellow Pages! Big savings on Dell's most popular laptops. Now starting at $449! Big savings on Dell's most popular laptops. 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