TOO MUCH SECTION 8?

The 4 amigos not only are "SPINELESS" they are heartless too.I hope the family hires a attorney and sues the hell out of this city.
Mr.Picard you saying that the gas station is a Blight site.You sir need to have your eyes check.
Mr.A sir you are the lowest of the lowest.
Did Mrs.Scott Jones leave cos she was pissed or she leave for other reasons?
I can not write what Iam really thinking of the "SPINELESS Ones" cos I would be banned but how they sleep at night has me puzzled.

Ok, just watched the opening segment of the council meeting with the Byrd's making their presentation. Ms. Byrd mentioned that they bought the house for $5000.00, then said the house was scheduled to be demolished. Don't understand. If the house was scheduled to be demolished, why was it up for sale? Seems like the Byrd's want to fix the place up. He claims to be a master craftsman in HVAC and other disciplines. I also don't understand why the city seems to be placing obstacles in front of them and seem unresponsive to people wanting to take a "fixer upper" and make it a viable home again. Have to hear the city's side of the story to judge fairly. Unfortunately, I didn't hear Adkins, the city manager, nor any official (I assume he was there to hear the Byrd's story) make any comments in relation to the Byrd's claims. Also, incredibly, didn't hear one council person inquire about this and ask for explanations as to the actions of the city. What is wrong with the people who sit behind council's desk? I could have asked at least ten questions after the presentation, mostly related to Adkins stance and the city's reluctance to help these people. The picture I watched showed all council members sitting silently like toads on a log, with no emotion nor caring in their demeanor. If this had been a VIP or an ally of the city, you can bet they would have received the utmost attention. Get 'em all out of town.....now. They are incapable of serving the people.    Disgusting, smug, pompous, egotistical behavior from people who are suppose to be mature adults.

The Byrd's mentioned they have retained a lawyer. My wish is that they take the case as far as possible and are successful against the city. City leadership needs for life to be just a little more difficult because of their indifference. JMO

What I don't understand is why did the city not have a title search on this property.  Wouldn't that show the property was up for sherrif sale.  We all know the banks usually buy the property back to resale.  A little diligence on their part and this would not have happened.  Here is a couple that fell on hard times, and are working to get their life back on track, and they want to take advantage of them.  This is wrong, no matter how the city puts it - I hope the city is taken to the cleaners on this one.

Richard Saunders wrote: According to Mr. Adkins, it sounds like the City's criteria for demolition is whether or not it would cost more to restore a property than it is now worth.   I wonder why the Sorg Opera House, the Sorg Mansion, The Manchester Inn, the Historical Society Building, et cetera, et cetera, ad nauseum, have not seen the wrecking ball yet?   There is even one building on South Main Street whose owners want to demolish it, but the "Historic Commission" won't allow them to do so and instead is trying to force them to restore it!   Go figure.

If the Historic Commission (AKA MainStreet Snobs) will get there way.They got there Purty Lights compliment of the "tax payers."
Im still in disbelief on how cold hearted  those that voted to move forward are.As someone mention above,Mr.A sure dont like to be told NO.
Another thing that has me puzzled is when the discussion was going on Mrs.Queen Bee and Humpty Dumpty Les Sit there silently Seems When Mrs.Scott Jones asked if she could ask a question to the Byrds Les just sat there.Kind of odd,he is the City Attorney.

Viper I am not defending anyone on here.  I am just saying the city isn't doing what is right.  I was always taught 2 wrongs never make a right - so is it right for the city to the wrong thing?  NO

Viper - I also know alot about real estate law.  The city would have to do a title search - they would see this house was scheduled for foreclosure.  If they notified a owner it may not have been the same owner during the 90 day window.  There fore the owner of the property may not have known it was to be demolished when it was sold to this couple.  I am not saying they are or are not in their legal guidelines for disclosure -  but why would you put yourself in the middle of a lawsuit.  Which in turn will keep the property from being demolished at the scheduled time anyway.  Any good lawyer would get this stopped. 

what this man did was wrong, i can't see where he can do much harm if its true his hands are ooo smashed,well DESERVED!! ouch that had to hurt... but i believe his sister is the one that got the place ,she does not look like a crack head,Heroin junkie,  walmart thieve, air conditioner hocker,   if they dont give this lady a chance!!! then ones that say they are moving forward should live a burning life in hell.!! IMO heck i have 6 within a mile of me but im not skerred!! you can put in any address you want, in any city within miles and their there, glad to see more and more women buying and getting their ccw, thats not good news for the rapist.

And the city did do a title search actually. 

Viper if you know so much about this, why dont you tell us.  Did the city notify the bank that owned the property or the individuals that lost the property?

Pac man is right , they should have invested in a title search, but this would not tell them it was scheduled by the city to destroy. I am betting that title insurance would not cover their loss either.   If they did put signs up, then they should not have bought it. Based on watching Adkins on the Section 8 fiasco, cant say I believe everything he says.  I am just stating if  you have the opportunity to avoid a lawsuit get a house up to par, move the funds to another property that should be demolished, wouldnt that make sense.  But we are dealing with city employees, and they tend to not use common sense. 

Well, it looks like the Section 8 fiasco between the city and HUD is going to hit the fan. Journal story...

Housing expert says city is ‘playing with fire’
Section 8’s watershed moment with HUD will play a part in determining the city’s future

MIDDLETOWN — Cutting 60 percent of Middletown’s existing Section 8 housing vouchers would be reckless and could cost the city millions of dollars in funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, low-income and housing experts say.
City officials plan to eliminate 1,008 Section 8 vouchers through attrition in the next five years. They say Middletown is over-saturated with subsidized housing that is taxing city services, generating crime and negatively impacting the city’s image. Middletown has the highest rate of subsidized housing in the state at 9.7 percent.

"GENERATNG CRIME, TAXING CITY SERVICES AND NEGATIVELY IMPACTING THE CITY IMAGE"......GEE, WHAT DID THEY THINK WOULD HAPPEN? AND HOW LONG AGO HAVE WE BEEN SAYING THIS?...AND IT TOOK THEM UNTIL NOW TO REALIZE THIS? YA KNOW, THIS GROUP OF CITY OFFICIALS AREN'T THE BRIGHTEST BULBS IN THE PACK, ARE THEY?

But city officials recently sent HUD a letter refusing to back down from their position.

Elizabeth Brown, executive director of Housing Opportunities Made Equal, a Cincinnati-based housing rights organization, said Middletown officials are “playing with fire if they continue to thumb their noses at HUD.”

Brown said HUD has the ability to cut off all of its Community Development Block Grant funds if the agency believes Middletown is not being fair with its voucher program. Middletown is slated to receive $1.4 million in CDBG funds this year, according to city records.
She said she has talked with HUD after hearing about the city’s plans and that the agency is “extremely upset with Middletown.”

Middletown had less than 800 Section 8 housing vouchers in December 1999, but that figure more than doubled by October 2005. City officials placed a moratorium on accepting additional subsidized housing vouchers in 2005 in an effort to stop single-family homes from being transformed into multi-family residences.
A 2005 staff report on the moratorium stated: “A major concern expressed in the master plan is the trend towards higher renter occupancy in formerly owner-occupied neighborhoods. This trend has been coupled with disinvestment in the same neighborhoods.”
Butler County Treasurer Nancy Nix, who served on Middletown City Council when the moratorium was introduced, said it’s “anybody’s guess” what will happen if Middletown is allowed to reduce the total number of vouchers to 654.
“I hope that (HUD) would understand that we are out of balance and let us reduce it to a reasonable amount,” Nix said. “There is no reason that Middletown should be the Section 8 capital of the state. It’s a continued strain on our services, and it hinders our progress to be a more vibrant community.”

THANKS NIX. WE REALIZED THE BALANCE THING AND BEING THE SECTION 8 CAPITAL OF OHIO YEARS AGO, BUT IT'S GOOD THAT YOU REAFFIRMED THAT. OH, BY THE WAY, WHEN YOU SAT ON COUNCIL AT THIS TIME AND SAW THE SECTION 8 SURGE DOUBLE, WHAT WERE YOU AND THE OTHER COUNCIL MEMBERS THINKING?



Brown said Middletown needs to concentrate on economic development, bringing in new businesses with new jobs, and the city’s 23 percent poverty rate will drop.
“That’s where their time and energy should be,” she said.

AHAH! "BRINGING IN NEW BUSINESS/JOBS AND CONCENTRATING ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT" IS WHAT MIDDLETOWN OUGHT TO BE DOING.......WELL, I BELIEVE SOME OF US HAVE ALSO BEEN SUGGESTING DOING JUST THAT THE LAST 10 YEARS OR SO. NO ONE LISTENING THOUGH.

Section 8--HUD-- crime--poverty--jobs--properties--demos--giveaways--streets--priorities