Northwest Indiana Discussion

Appeals court rules Hammond demolition order improper. nwitimes.com

Impartiality of the board of Public Works and Safety was compromised, according to the ruling. Mr. Torres gets to keep his home, for now.

Interesting article Tiger, Now does this ruling call in to question ALL of the past condemnations?

Does it open Hammond up to additional litigation?



As the article stated, Does the City Engineer placement on the Public Works Committee also create conflict of interest issues?



Kanta's behaviors in the Hammond City Court have been called in to question in the past, but as to the conflict of interest who the hell cares, Tom does what he wants, despite what the law says.

Remember the $17,000,000 of Hammond Taxpayer's funds placed in uninsured accounts, a direct violation of State Law?

And what about the State Board of Accounts Request for the city to maintain the Festival of the Lakes Parking Receipts.... $250,000 missing.

I think this might set a precedent, opening up legal recourse for other property owners in the same situation.

There is more to this story than most people know. The Board does not investigate claims thoroughly enough. There is a house on Alexander in Hessville that has been condemned. According to the hearings, the owner, Mr. McMahan is deceased. Mr McMahan is very much alive all though he suffered a heart attack and lost oxygen to his brain and is now handicapped. How do I know this????? They are condemning a house of a handicapped individual, not a deceased person! But who wants to hear that????

IMO, they are in too much of a rush, in some cases, to condemn homes. I think a bit of compassion to individuals in bad circumstances is called for, especially in the case of elderly or disabled homeowners, or even people who are struggling due to the bad economy.

Meanwhile, in the real world, the property continues to deteriorate and is a blight on the neighborhood. I'm sure that the neighbors who take care of their homes wished the plaintiff would have spent the money he spent on attorneys repairing the property.

Maybe if the man didn't have to spend a lot of money on attorneys to save his home, he would have had the money to fix it.

Hammers For Hearts only do specific repairs, and there is a waiting list. When you sign up, there is usually a 2 year minimum wait.

Applications for Hammers for Hearts projects in Hammond are handled by the Hammond Planning and Development dept. Planning and Development has a variety of programs available to help residents if their homes require extensive repairs. The vacant,blighted property on Reese street is surrounded by homeowners who take pride in the appearance of their homes. I'm sure they'll be glad when Mr. Torres' home is either repaired or demolished. I also think it's unfair when vacant homes like this have a break on property taxes because they have a homeowner's exemption.

Yes there are a variety of programs, most of which have a long waiting list of at least a couple of years or more. You have to income qualify for Hammers For Hearts, and credit qualify for all the others, as they are loans.
It doesn't matter if it was vacant or occupied, for property tax exemption purposes. If it is the only house he has claimed for this purpose, then it is entirely within the law.

The homeowner's exemption can only be applied to a person's primary residence. If the house is vacant, it doesn't qualify and the owner can be forced to pay back taxes.

Hammers For Hearts only do specific repairs, and there is a waiting list. When you sign up, there is usually a 2 year minimum wait.[/quote]
Applications for Hammers for Hearts projects in Hammond are handled by the Hammond Planning and Development dept. Planning and Development has a variety of programs available to help residents if their homes require extensive repairs. The vacant,blighted property on Reese street is surrounded by homeowners who take pride in the appearance of their homes. I'm sure they'll be glad when Mr. Torres' home is either repaired or demolished. I also think it's unfair when vacant homes like this have a break on property taxes because they have a homeowner's exemption.[/quote]


Yes there are a variety of programs, most of which have a long waiting list of at least a couple of years or more. You have to income qualify for Hammers For Hearts, and credit qualify for all the others, as they are loans.
It doesn't matter if it was vacant or occupied, for property tax exemption purposes. If it is the only house he has claimed for this purpose, then it is entirely within the law.[/quote]The homeowner's exemption can only be applied to a person's primary residence. If the house is vacant, it doesn't qualify and the owner can be forced to pay back taxes.[/quote]

You are wrong. Everyone is entitled to 1 homestead exemption for one residence.They can own the home and live elsewhere, if they please, but they can claim only 1 homestead exemption. Some people own more than 1 home,for example, a house in the city, and say, for instance, one on the lake. Even if they do not stay in the one in the city, as long as they are not double dipping, they can claim that house for the homestead exemption.It is up to the property owner as to which one they want to use for an exemption.

Yes they are,as long as they are not double dipping. The property owner has a choice as to what property they want to claim.