Public Notice: 05/12/2025 [97b8b0b1ee384e458b699c562bf7006f]

MONROE COUNTY PUBLIC NOTICE ADOPTION OF AN ORDINANCE The Monroe County Board of Commissioners intends to adopt an Ordinance at their Wednesday, May 21, 2025, Public Meeting to be held at the Monroe County Administrative Center, One Quaker Plaza, Room 203, Stroudsburg, PA 18360 at 9:30 a.m. At the time of the public meeting, the Commissioners will listen to comments by members of the public concerning the proposed ordinance. If substantial amendments are not offered to the proposed ordinance, the Commissioners intend to consider enactment of the proposed ordinance immediately at the public meeting. The entire proposed ordinance is as follows: BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS COUNTY OF MONROE, COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA ORDINANCE NO. 2025-02 AN ORDINANCE OF THE COUNTY COMMISSIOERS OF MONROE COUNTY , PENNSYLVANIA, PURSUANT TO ACT 48 OF 2024, ESTABLISHING A COUNTY DEMOLITION AND REHABILITATION FUND AND IMPOSING A FEE TO BE COLLECTED BY THE MONROE COUNTY TAX CLAIM BUREAU FROM PURCHASES AT SALES UNDER THE REAL ESTATE TAX SALE LAW AND BY THE MONROE COUNTY SHERIFF FROM JUDICIAL SALES IN MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE ACTIONS; DEFINING TERMS; AND PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY, REPEALER AND EFFECTIVE DATE. BE IT HEREBY ORDAINED AND ENACTED, by the Board of Commissioners of Monroe County, pursuant to its authority under Pennsylvania Act 48 of 2024, amending Section 631 of the Pennsylvania Real Estate Tax Sale Law, 72 P.S. §5860.631, as follows: Section 1: SHORT TITLE: The within Ordinance may be referred to herein and elsewhere as the Demolition and Rehabilitation Fund Ordinance'. Section 2: DEFINITIONS: as used in the Ordinance, the following terms shall have meanings set forth below: Tax sale shall mean any upset tax sale, private sale, judicial sale or repository sale conducted by the Monroe County Tax Claim Bureau for delinquent real property taxes pursuant to the Pennsylvania Real Estate Tax Sale Law, 72 P.S. §5860.631 et seq., but shall not include any property sold for delinquent real estate to a non-profit entity, land bank, or governmental entity or to a property acquired by the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. Mortgage foreclosure sale shall mean any upset tax sale, private sale, judicial sale or repository sale conducted by the Office of the Monroe County Sheriff in connection with a mortgage foreclosure action pursuant to the authority of Article XII of the Pennsylvania County Code 16 P.S. §1201 et seq. and the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedures, 231 Pa. Code §51 et seq. Section 3: ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MONROE COUNTY DEMOLITION AND REHABILITATION FUND: Effective as of January 1, 2026, a Monroe County Demolition and Rehabilitation Fund shall be established by the Monroe Treasurer pursuant to the Pennsylvania Act 48 of 2024. Section 4: DIRECTIVES: Effective as of January 1, 2026, which is not less than (90) days after the effective date of this Ordinance, the Monroe County Board of Commissioners authorizes and directs the Monroe County Tax Claim Bureau and the Office of the Monroe County Sheriff to collect a fee in the amount of one hundred dollars ($100.00) from each and every purchaser of real property from a tax sale or a mortgage foreclosure sale, respectively, in addition to the purchase price of the property and all other associated fees and costs. Each and every separate parcel of real estate sold at a tax sale or mortgage foreclosure sale shall be subject to the purchaser's obligation to pay said fee in the amount of one hundred dollars ($100.00).As soon as practical after each tax sale or mortgage foreclosure sale, the Monroe County Tax Claim Bureau and the Office of the Monroe County Sheriff shall promptly deliver any and all funds collected pursuant to the Demolition and Rehabilitation Fund Ordinance to the Monroe County Treasurer for deposit in the Monroe County Demolition and Rehabilitation Fund. Section 5: ADMINISTRATION OF THE MONROE COUNTY DEMOLITION AND REHABILITATION FUND: Any and all funds collected by the Monroe County Tax Claim Bureau and the Office of the Monroe Conty Sheriff pursuant to the Demolition and Rehabilitation Fund Ordinance shall promptly be deposited by the Monroe County Treasurer into a dedicated interest-bearing account for the exclusive purposes of the Monroe County Demolition and Rehabilitation Fund.The methods of custody, divestiture, disbursement and application of any and all funds deposited into the Monroe County Demolition and Rehabilitation Fund shall be consistent with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.Funds deposited in the Monroe County Demolition and Rehabilitation Fund shall be administered by the Monroe County Board of Commissioners, which, within its sole discretion, may use the funds for its own demolition and/or rehabilitation projects, or may award funds by application on a competitive basis to municipalities, school districts, redevelopment authorities and/or other non-profit entities for demolition and/or rehabilitation of blighted properties located within Monroe County, Pennsylvania.Additionally, the Monroe County Board of Commissioners may act in its sole discretion to approve the use of the funds deposited and maintained in the Monroe County Demolition and Rehabilitation Fund by a non-profit or for-profit corporation that has a contract with the County of Monroe or with any taxing district, redevelopment authority, land bank or other governmental entity, for demolition and/or rehabilitation of blighted properties located within the Monroe County, Pennsylvania. Section 6: FORM AND METHOD OF NOTICE TO AFFECTED AGENCIES: Notice that the Monroe County Board of Commissioners has established a Demolition and Rehabilitation Fund, and that the fee imposed herein shall be collected and deposited as provided by Section 4, above, shall be transmitted to each of the offices of the Monroe County Tax Claim Bureau, Monroe County Sheriff, Monroe County Treasurer and the Monroe County Prothonotary by transmitting a true, correct and accurate copy of the within Demolition and Rehabilitation Fund Ordinance to the department head of each said office via US mail, electronic mail and/or hand-delivery within two (2) working days of its enactment. Section 7 SEVERABILTY: The provisions of this Ordinance shall be severable, and if any of the provisions of this Ordinance hereof shall be held unconstitutional, void or otherwise unenforceable, same such shall not affect the validity of any of the remaining provisions of the within Ordinance. Section 8: REPEALER: All ordinances or parts of ordinances conflicting with any of the provisions of this Ordinance are hereby repealed insofar as the same affect this Ordinance. Section 9: EFFECTIVE DATE: This Ordinance shall become effective as of January 1, 2026. DULY ENACTED AND ORDAINED by the Board of Commissioners of the County of Monroe, Pennsylvania, in a lawful session duly assembled, this 21st day of May 2025. MONROE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS John D. Christy, Chairman David C. Parker, Vice-Chairman Sharon S. Laverdure, Commissioner Robert J. Gress, Chief Clerk/Administrator Publish 5/12/2025 May 12 2025 LSOM0294868