OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The chairman of the Nebraska Republican Party has settled a property dispute with the southwestern Iowa town of Red Oak.
Kirojen LLC, a company headed by Nebraska GOP chairman J.L. Spray, bought a tax lien for an abandoned church in 2012. The city later condemned the church building as dangerous, paid to have it torn down and then sued Kirojen to recover its costs.
According to court records, the city was billed $19,000 for the demolition.
Spray objected, saying information from Montgomery County during the tax sale made it appear that the building was in better shape and that Red Oak had the responsibility to cover the cost of demolition.
The Omaha World-Herald reports (https://bit.ly/1HQLKhH ) that Spray offered last week to pay $10,000 on the demolition bill and hand the property deed over to the city. This week, Red Oak officials voted to accept the offer.
Bruce Swanson, the Red Oak attorney who represented the city, called the resolution fair.
“To have settled for and recouped at least 50 percent of our costs . I think was a win,” Billings said. “We are glad to serve notice that if you are going to come in here and you buy delinquent tax properties, you are expected to do something with them.”
Spray, who became the Nebraska Republican Party’s chairman in 2013, said he was trying to be fair to the city. He plans to step down this month at the end of his two-year term.
Red Oak plans to put the property up for auction.
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Information from: Omaha World-Herald, https://www.omaha.com
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