The authority must manage tax-delinquent lands by taking control, inventorying, appraising, classifying, and administering them, and the commissioners have related powers over sale, transfer, records, and audits.
It shall be the duty of such authority to administer the tax-delinquent lands as follows: (1) Such authority shall immediately assume possession and control of all real estate acquired by it under the Land Reutilization Act and proceed to inventory and appraise such land and thereafter keep and maintain a perpetual inventory of such real estate, except that individual parcels may be consolidated and grouped or regrouped for economy, utility, or convenience; (2) Such authority shall classify such land as to its use into the following three classifications: (a) Suitable for private use; (b) Suitable for use by a public agency; and (c) Not usable in its present condition or situation and held as a public land reserve. Any parcel of property may be reclassified by a three-fifths vote of the commissioners; (3) Such authority shall administer all property described in subdivision (2)(a) of this section in accordance with subdivision (4) of this section. Every effort shall be made to sell such property at a price as close to its appraised value as possible. Property described in subdivisions (2)(b) and (2)(c) of this section may be transferred at no cost by the authority upon request of and to a public agency upon submission of a plan of use for the property by such public agency to the land reutilization commissioners. If the property is transferred at no cost to any public agency and such public agency shall then sell or otherwise dispose of such property within ten years for any consideration, the proceeds of such sale or disposal shall be returned to the commissioners who shall in turn distribute the proceeds in accordance with the act. If the commissioners do not give an affirmative vote to the request for transfer, the authority may dispose of the property in accordance with subdivision (4) of this section. Properties described in subdivision (2)(c) of this section shall be studied and recommendations made to taxing authorities as to possible uses for such real estate. In furtherance of this objective, such authority shall have access to any and all city and county records at any time and may call upon any and all city and county officers, departments, boards, planning commissions, or other commissions for studies, statistics, or recommendations. Such authority shall prepare a list of all land described in subdivision (2)(a) of this section, which list shall be corrected and amended from time to time in the discretion of the commissioners. Such commissioners may make a charge not to exceed one dollar for each copy of such list, which charge shall be used to help defray the costs of preparing such list. Any person may purchase a copy of such list. Any real estate agent or broker licensed to do business in the city may, when authorized by the commissioners, sell any such property upon the terms and conditions imposed by the commissioners, and the commissioners may pay a reasonable real estate commission. Nothing in the act shall prohibit the commissioners from selling or exchanging any such real estate directly to or with any purchaser; (4) Such commissioners shall manage, maintain, protect, rent, lease, repair, insure, alter, sell, trade, exchange, or otherwise dispose of any such real estate on such terms and conditions as may be determined in the sole discretion of the commissioners in accordance with section 77-3205. Such commissioners may assemble tracts or parcels of real estate for public parks or other public purposes and to such end may exchange parcels and otherwise effectuate such purposes by agreement with any taxing authority; and (5) Such authority shall adopt rules and regulations consistent with the act and shall keep records of all of its transactions, which records shall be open to inspection of any taxing authority in the county at any time. There shall be an annual audit of the affairs, accounts, expenses, and financial transactions of such authority by certified public accountants as of December 31 of each year, which accountants shall be employed by the commissioners on or before November 1 of each year, and certified copies of such audit shall be furnished to the appointing authorities and shall be available for public inspection at the offices of such appointing authorities. History: Laws 1973, LB 73, § 6; Laws 1980, LB 862, § 3; Laws 2008, LB710, § 2.