BIDDEFORD, Maine — The Biddeford City Council is scheduled to consider the fate of a convicted killer’s rundown home this week.
The council is expected to vote Tuesday on whether to seize by eminent domain the dilapidated home of Rory Holland and demolish it.
City Manager John Bubier told The Portland Press Herald the South Street home is in “terrible shape.”
Authorities said the home was in poor shape even before Holland shot and killed Derek and Gage Greene in June 2009. They say it was cluttered and had no electricity or running water. In the three years since, things have only gotten worse as the house has been vandalized.
Holland was convicted of two counts of murder and sentenced in February 2011 to concurrent life sentences in prison. He claimed self-defense.
The correct procedure (in civilized areas) is for the city’s board of health to “condemn” the property, and then the owner must pay to have the property repaired or demolished. If the owner can not pay the municipal entity then seizes the property as payment for the demolition.
The process of “eminent domain” seizures is being abused, and used too often lately. Were I a Biddeford City tax payer, the leadership there would hear from me on this.
except the owner is in prison for two life sentences.
..and that applies to what? “taking” someone’s property by “eminent domain” is a different animal than taking condemned property to pay for demolition. Either can be accomplished when the property owner is unavailable (as in jail)
“eminent domain” is taking for public use, Condemnation is used to insure health and safety within a town.
Seems it’s hard to remember what you said, so To quote you: “The correct procedure (in civilized areas) is for the city’s board of health to “condemn” the property, and then the owner must pay to have the property repaired or demolished”, sounds like no chance the owner is going to be able to pay to have the property repaired or demolished in this lifetime.