South Jefferson Land Bank Holds First Meeting

By Gordon HopkinsThe first meeting of the South Jefferson Land Bank Board of Directors was held Wednesday, January 31, 2024, at the Fairbury City Council meeting room at the city offices. The oath of office was administered by Fairbury City Attorney Kurt Brashear.The Fairbury City Council voted to enter into an agreement with the Village of Endicott to partner in a Municipal Land Bank (MLB), on Tuesday, January 2, 2024.A land bank is an entity created by a municipality which generally allows for the acquisition, maintenance, development, and disposition of real property for the purpose of returning it to productive use. The Nebraska Municipal Land Bank Act, Neb. Rev. Stat. §§ 18-3401 et seq. (Act), was first passed in 2013, applicable primarily to Omaha and Lincoln, and subsequently amended in 2020, expanding application to the remaining classes of municipalities. The League of Nebraska Municipalities (LONM) has created resources for setting up land banks, including templates for formation and organization, which are provided with this memorandum for reference.The first meeting focused on procedural matters, such as electing officers. Brashear was chosen to be legal counsel and will be working with the board to establish bylaws and policies.Although not on the board, Fairbury Mayor Spencer Brown was also present at the meeting. He hopes a land bank can address both issues of much needed workforce housing and well as dilapidated and rundown properties.

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