Foreclosures an ongoing problem in Clark, Floyd counties

By DAVID A. MANN, Evening News
David.Mann@newsandtribune.com

Realtytrac.com, a Web site that tracks foreclosures, listed more than 95 properties as being in foreclosure in Clark and Floyd counties in December. Indiana as a whole ranked No. 16 in the rate of foreclosures among states that month.

The problem is one that affects not only the former homeowners, but entire neighborhoods. Foreclosures are most noticed during the summer months, when local governments have to cut grass on some bank-owned properties, said Connie Sellers, a code enforcement officer for the city of Jeffersonville. Sellers also is president of the Jeffersonville City Council.

Many cities and towns have ordinances in place that require grass to be cut to a certain length. When a homeowner is foreclosed on and no one is occupying the home, it can be left to the city to mow those lawns and recoup the expenses of doing so.

Sometimes code enforcement officers also have to respond to calls that people are sleeping inside abandoned homes at night.

In Jeffersonville, the problems are spread out across the city.

"They are everywhere," she said.

In Floyd County, the number of sheriff's sales - public sales of foreclosed property by the Floyd County Sheriff's Department - seem to be increasing, said Joyce Banet, matron at the Floyd County sheriff's office.

"I've seen a lot more in the county [rather than the city] than I had seen in the past."

According to the Floyd County Clerk's office, there were 342 foreclosures in 2007. That number rose to 424 in 2008 - a 24 percent increase.

A similar trend is being seen in Clark County. Though the clerk's office could not produce a report similar to the one in Floyd, there has been a jump in the number of sheriff sales in Clark.

Throughout all of 2008, there were 510 properties sold at auction, according to Clark County Sheriff Danny Rodden. Just in the month of January, there had been 110 properties sold.

Floyd has 32 homes slated for sheriff's sales in February; Clark has 31.