By M. Scott Carter
The Journal Record
Posted: 09:05 PM Tuesday, March 9, 2010
OKLAHOMA CITY – Government agencies would be forced to declare unused land as surplus and offer to resell the land to the original owner after a decade, under legislation passed this week by the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
House Bill 3053, by state Rep. Pat Ownbey, R-Ardmore, would force government agencies to declare unused land as surplus and offer to resell it to the original owner after 10 years. The legislation also strengthens notification requirements when using eminent domain to seize property.
“This legislation offers property owners some protection from inappropriate uses of eminent domain,” Ownbey said. “By inappropriate, I mean holding onto land indefinitely or using it for a different purpose than the one cited when eminent domain was initially employed.”
Ownbey said the bill places a time limit on the land’s use and provides a mechanism for those who have lost their land to eminent domain to reclaim it if it goes unused... FULL ARTICLE
Posted on
Tue, March 9, 2010
by Crystal Drwenski