MVOC: New treasurer should support land bank

Staff report

The Mahoning Valley Organizing Collaborative wants the next county treasurer to support land banks.

The collaborative had a news conference Thursday outside a Boardman home to make its point.

Before Lisa A. Antonini resigned from the county treasurer position, she helped to set up the land bank system in Mahoning County. The MVOC hopes the person the Mahoning County Democratic precinct committee appoints to take her place June 6 continues to support the land bank system.

Before the land-bank system was implemented in Mahoning County in February, the process for a prospective buyer to take over vacant land could take years. “The system we had really wasn’t working,” Chris Travers of MVOC said.

Under the land-bank system, the county could take on vacant or dilapidated land, and sell it to a new buyer after paying the back taxes.