Florence Mayor Stephen J. Wukela’s three-year-old duel with dilapidated and abandoned housing is finally starting to take him places.
Columbia, for instance.
Wukela will be among those testifying Wednesday at a Senate Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on Senate Bill 1117 which, appropriately enough, is called the Rehabilitation of Abandoned and Dilapidated Buildings act. Wukela is scheduled to speak at 11 a.m.
Wukela was asked to speak because, during his three years as Florence’s mayor, he’s aggressively sought ways to bring the city’s population of eyesores and abandoned properties under control; and because, as an attorney, he understands some of the critical aspects of the problem. During Wukela’s time in office, 85 buildings have been destroyed and more than 450 lots cleared.
“I have some interest and some knowledge,” said Wukela, “and I’ve been involved, along with others, on this for some time. It does have a fairly good chance of passing, I think. Florence isn’t the only place in the state with this problem, and there are aspects of it that appeal to both Republicans and Democrats. We’ll see how it goes.”
The Senate bill is sponsored by Orangeburg Democrat Brad Hutto, but the House version (H-4628) has the official backing of three Republicans and three Democrats.
The bill aims to give local municipalities a boost in dealing with dilapidated and abandoned buildings by providing a mechanism by which a city may petition for the appointment of a receiver to take over the abandoned property and bring it back to a useful purpose. The proposed bill provides that the receiver be a private developer, non-profit organization, or quasi-governmental entity.
Cities, Florence included, often run afoul of what Wukela called “heir” properties where relatives in distance places became owners of an old property, sometimes without their knowledge. Property owners who pass away without a will can create additional problems, leaving a group of inheritors who may or may not be aware of their newfound ownership. Locating owners becomes a problem.
The proposed legislation would eliminate much of that problem. The Receiver could advertise for owners but if none came forward in a prescribed amount of time, the property could be sold.
“It would be a great new law,” said Wukela. “It would give us here in Florence a tool we don’t already have, and in time it would make our city a better place.”
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