Overview
Those properties that the City of Rutland has taken title to, generally through tax sale, and are not retained by the City for a City-purpose, will be disposed of through the City-Owned Properties Program. The disposition of properties is a process that occurs over several months – from the time the property is acquired to the time title is transferred. To best dispose of a property, the City established a program, which includes an application process, to help facilitate the purchase and redevelopment of properties from prospective parties.
Click below for additional information relating to each City-Owned Property-related subject:
THERE ARE NO PROPERTIES CURRENTLY FOR SALE Application Deadlines Open House Schedule Property Profiles Application
Process
The disposition of properties through the City-Owned Properties Program, as indicated above, occurs over a several month span. Upon acquiring a property via tax sale, the City is first tasked with inspecting the property and evaluating their status to determine its existing conditions. As part of this step, the City may be required to condemn a building or even have the building torn down. Once the City evaluates the property, then property profiles will be created, which provides background information for each property. These profiles are made available to the City and public as soon as possible within the process.
Once the City has determined the status of each property, and the property profiles are created, each property is then presented to the Mayor and City Department Heads to determine if the property should be retained by the City for a City-related purpose. Most often, the property is passed on; however, in the event that a property is retained, the Mayor will make a recommendation to the Board of Finance to retain the property. If the property is passed on, then it (or if multiple property, the list of properties) is forwarded to the Rutland Redevelopment Authority (RRA) for their input. The RRA will review the properties, and should any of the properties adhere to, or provide an, economic development opportunity, future or ongoing, they will make a recommendation related to that opportunity to the Board of Finance. In any event, should the RRA pass on a property, the property will still be forwarded to the Board of Finance, but without any formal economic development-related recommendation.
Therefore, properties will be forwarded to the Board of Finance under three circumstances:
- The Mayor will make a recommendation to retain a property that serves a City-related purpose or satisfies a compelling City goal;
- The RRA will make a recommendation to dispose of a property in a way the adheres or relates to a future or ongoing economic development project; or
- A property is forwarded to the Board of Finance with no formal recommendation.
The Board of Finance is instrumental in regards to City-Owned Property, as provided in the City’s charter, and are ultimately responsible for determining the disposition of City-owned property. Once a property is referred to the Board of Finance, the Board will determine if the property shall: 1) be retained by the City for special disposition, or 2) whether the City-Owned Properties Committee shall solicit applications from the general public for purchase and use.
Upon making a recommendation of disposing a City-owned property to the general public for purchase and use, the City-Owned Properties Committee will convene. The convening of the City-Owned Properties Committee to discuss the public disposition of property could take up to as many as four or five months upon initially acquiring a property, and in some circumstances longer if other considerations are required. Once the City-Owned Properties Committee convenes, the Committee will begin initiating the application process. Showings of the properties will be arranged, in addition to coordinating and establishing the parameters of the application process. To note, the application process currently in place helps facilitate the purchase and redevelopment of properties, and applications are reviewed to determine which applicant best matches the goals of the program. Applicants will also be evaluated on the following criteria, which includes, but are not limited to:
- Plan for rehabilitation of the property in accordance with City goals (e.g. the City’s Master Plan);
- Financial capacity of potential purchaser(s) to complete the planned work; and
- Potential purchaser’s standing with the City with respect to taxes and other fees, current and past violations, and previous tax sales or foreclosures.
Once the Committee solicits applications and chooses a prospective purchaser, the Committee will make a recommendation to the Board of Aldermen. After the Board of Aldermen approves the disposition of a property, then the next step will be to facilitate the real estate transaction between the City and the prospective buyer. NOTE: transactions are subject to deed restrictions to ensure that the property will be rehabilitated in accordance with whatever development plan is submitted as part of the application process.
Available Properties & Timeline to Date
There are no properties currently for sale.
Application Process
When properties are available, applicants may submit their application online by clicking here. Cover letters or any other formal correspondence shall be addressed to the City’s purchasing agent, Sara Magro (see below). Applications shall be submitted by 4:00 PM on Friday, September 8, 2023.
The City of Rutland’s Clerk Office c/o Sara Magro, Purchasing Agent Mailing Address: P.O. Box 969, Rutland, VT 05702 Physical Address: 52 Washington Street, Rutland, VT 05701 Applications can be found by clicking here (Coming Soon).City-Owned Properties Committee
The City-Owned Properties Committee is comprised of five members:
- Andrew Strniste (Chair), Planning & Zoning Administrator: andrews@rutlandcity.org
- Michael Talbott, Board of Aldermen President
- Anna Tadio, Board of Aldermen
- (Vacant), Rutland Redevelopment Authority Community Economic Director
- Edward Clark, Rutland Redevelopment Authority Member
Questions
For additional questions about the City-Owned Properties program, please contact Andrew Strniste, City of Rutland Planning & Zoning Administrator at (802) 774-7833 or andrews@rutlandcity.org.