Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

ENROLLED ORIGINAL

                                        A RESOLUTION

                                             24-135

                   IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

                                          June 15, 2021

To declare the existence of an emergency with respect to the need to cancel the tax sale for Class

       I and Class 2 properties during 2021, and to require that notice of the cancellation be

       mailed to affected property owners.

        RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this

resolution may be cited as the Real Property Tax Sale COVID-19 Emergency Declaration

Resolution of 2021.

        Sec. 2. (a) On March 11, 2020, the Mayor issued Mayors Orders 2020-045 and 2020-

046, declaring a public emergency and a public health emergency in the District due to the

imminent threat to the health, safety, and welfare of District residents posed by the spread of

COVID-19. That public emergency was extended until May 20, 2021, and was anticipated to be

extended again through July 25, 2021.

        (b) On June 19, 2020, the Mayor issued Mayors Order 2020-075, declaring that the

District had entered Phase 2 of Districts Reopening and would remain in effect for the duration

of the public health emergency or until repealed, modified, or superseded.

        (c) On May 17, 2021, the Mayor modified the above order with Mayors Order 2021-069,

where until very recently there were restrictions on meetings and conventions exceeding 25% of

the room capacity or 250 people, whichever is less. Additionally, attendees were required to

remain seated and socially distanced.

        (d) The tax sale requires nearly 3 months to plan in advance, comprising statutory

notices with inflexible dates and times. And while to-date restrictions have been lifted, to ensure

equitable and adequate notice to persons who may have temporarily vacated their homes to

reside with relatives, or others, during the spread of COVID-19, the 2021 tax sale needs to

exclude Class I and Class II properties and proceed only on vacant and blighted Class 3 and

Class 4 properties.

       Sec. 3. The Council determines that the circumstances enumerated in section 2 constitute

emergency circumstances making it necessary that the Real Property Tax Sale COVID-19

Equitable Emergency Amendment Act of 2021 be adopted after a single reading.

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                                                         ENROLLED ORIGINAL

Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.

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