A condemned home at 96 Hillside Avenue in Rocky Point was torn down Wednesday morning by the Suffolk County Dept of Public Works through the direction of Suffolk County Division of Real Property.
After receiving many complaints from residents, Legis. Sarah Anker worked with Councilwoman Jane Bonner and the Town of Brookhaven to get the problematic county-owned problematic house razed.
At the demolition, Legis. Anker announced legislation to expedite the return of blighted properties to the tax roll and productive use. According to a release from Legis. Anker's office, if a homeowner loses their house to the county due to non-payment of taxes, they have 6 months to pay back taxes and penalty and they can then reclaim their house.
The county also gives homeowners another two years to apply for 'hardship exemption.' In the past three years, there has been just one house redeemed and during that time Suffolk has spent $700,000 maintaining, paying taxes (school, town, fire district) and policing many of these houses that are abandoned.
Anker's legislation would "provide a balanced approach that allows former owners a meaningful opportunity to redeem their properties while ensuring that tax default properties are returned to the tax roll and productive use
within a reasonable time period."
