On a 4-1 vote Tuesday night the Junction City City Commission passed an ordinance that will create a City Land Bank.

The land bank will allow the city to place properties that are abandoned, tax foreclosed or otherwise distressed inside of it in order to attempt to return the property back to productive use.

Property in Junction City that would fit that criteria would include numerous vacant lots on the northwest side of the city on which infrastructure was installed as part of the building for anticipated growth. Some of that growth never occurred, and house were not developed on those lots. Efforts to sell them during a tax sale were also not very successful.

The land bank is the only mechanism under Kansas law that allows city’s to forgive special assessments.

Commissioner Mick McCallister said being able to lessen the amount of special assessments on land in Junction City is very important moving forward.

The decision of whether or not to abate the special assessments would be up to the city commission.

A concern that was brought up by Mayor Cecil Aska was what the cost of a land bank would be on the budget.

Catherine Logan, City Attorney, said that she spoke with the Assistant Attorney for the Unified Government of Wyandotte County, who also has an established land bank,”and he said it was a nominal amount, a very nominal amount that they allocate to the budget for this, in Wyandotte County.”

Commission Jim Sands opposed the creation of the land bank during Tuesday night’s meeting saying that he would like to wait at least one meeting before making a final decision.

“This sounds like a good deal but I would like to see what the citizens think before we push something down there throats, even though it sounds like a good deal, it shows prosperity, it shows good. I would like to wait at least on meeting,” Sands said.

On Monday the Geary County Commission held off on there decision to support the land bank until they had more time to read and understand what the ordinance entails. They are expected to bring it back up at there next meeting.