Strident Call For Halting Foreclosures From Lake County Council

July 14th, 2008 | Tags: Foreclosure Crisis

With the continuation of the foreclosure crisis more people are being thrown out of their houses in Lake County. The Lake County Council gave a strident call for halting foreclosures on the residential units. In this advisory resolution the council voted for a temporary check to foreclosures from the department of the Sheriff. This would give the people to whom these houses of bricks and mortar are home, a chance to get their bearings and work out something viable and workable.

The members of ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) based in Northwest Indiana sought a meeting with the Sheriff, Roy Dominguez to persuade him of the importance of postponing those auctions to be held on Friday 1st August. Eric Weathersby of Northwest Indiana ACORD spoke of wanting to initiate the setting up of conciliation conferences. It would involve the sheriff meeting a judge, the occupant of the house to be foreclosed, the lender and a representative of ACORN. However Dominguez reiterated that he did not have the authority to postpone foreclosures. He however added that he was keen to meeting with ACORN representatives but he was helpless because the court has ordered the foreclosures. As such he has “ a legal obligation to abide by those orders.”

The Sheriff’s office has foreclosed upon about 4,6500 units from October 2006 according to estimates given by Lake County Councilperson, Larry Blanchard (R-Crown Point). He explained that he had made his calculation from a foreclosure fund of the Sheriff’s department. It now holds $930,000. The mortgage firms pay to the Sheriff’s office a fee of $200 for each foreclosure undertaken. Dominguez wants to utilize these funds to purchase helicopters to replace the 30/40-year-old choppers that are being currently used by the department. He said it concerned the safety of the officers and the public. Christine Cid, (Democrat) the President of the City Council suggested that the funds could be better utilized for other sections that are troubled by budgetary reductions. She said that it was akin to going out to buy a new car when food bills cannot be met. Questions have recently been asked by the State Board of Accounts regarding this foreclosure fund. Dominguez is defensive in his stand stating that a hue and cry is being raised about there being a lot of money in the fund but nobody is finding out with what efforts the money was raised.