The Henderson City Council approved Monday to purchase more than 100 vacant properties within the city limits that are jointly owned by the city and county, but the vote was one vote shy of being unanimous.
Council Member Garry Daeke cast the dissenting vote, but said Tuesday on TownTalk that it wasn’t because he doesn’t approve of the project – he simply wanted the county to give the roughly 26 acres of property to the city.
“I certainly approve what we’re doing,” Daeke said, adding that the city has demolished hundreds of vacant, derelict houses over the years. The properties will be bundled together and then bid on by builders who will erect affordable housing options within the city.
The city will be responsible for the infrastructure – lights, water, sewer, fire and police protection, for example, Daeke said. If the county had chosen to give the property to the city, it would have gone a long way to “jumpstart” the revitalization project.
“It seems to me that we’re going to be doing a lot up front,” he noted.
Once the houses get built, he added, the county will enjoy a greater return on the investment through higher tax rates than the city of Henderson.
“It would have been a great way to collaborate.”
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