Monee Establishes Abandoned Property Acquisition Program to Return Blighted Lots to Tax Rolls

Village of Monee Board of Trustees Meeting | May 13, 2026

Article Summary: The Monee Village Board on Tuesday, May 13, 2026, adopted an ordinance creating an abandoned property acquisition program, allowing the village to take title to vacant, blighted or tax-delinquent properties and partner with vetted developers to rehabilitate them.

Abandoned Property Program Key Points:

• The board adopted Ordinance No. 2141, adding a new chapter to Title 9 of the village code.
• The program targets vacant properties, often with several years of delinquent taxes or unpaid water bills.
• Developers must submit a rehab plan, gain village approval, and demonstrate the financial resources to complete it; properties are sold “as is.”
• The ordinance passed 6-0.

MONEE — The Monee Village Board on Tuesday, May 13, 2026, adopted an ordinance establishing an abandoned property acquisition program designed to return vacant and blighted properties to productive use and back onto the tax rolls.

Village Attorney Lawrence R. Gryczewski presented the measure, which adds a new chapter to Title 9 of the village code. (Gryczewski initially referenced the new chapter as “Chapter 7” but corrected it on the record to Chapter 17 at a trustee’s prompting.) He said the program is aimed at properties that are typically blighted or carry years of delinquent taxes or unpaid water bills.

Under the program, the village must first acquire title to a qualifying vacant property. A developer may then present a rehabilitation plan, which must be submitted and approved, Gryczewski said. The developer must also demonstrate the financial resources to complete the rehab as proposed. If the village is unable to acquire title, any contract with the developer would be null and void, and a final purchase-and-sale agreement would have to be executed between the village and the developer. Most importantly, he said, the property is sold on an as-is basis.

Gryczewski said the village had purchased several such properties through tax sales over the past four or five years and that the new program would let the village line up developers in advance rather than going out for bid each time. He told the board the village had previously acquired roughly seven or eight properties for about $100 before later putting them out for bid.

During discussion, a trustee asked whether sales to developers would occur through an auction. Gryczewski said that when a developer shows interest, the village has the right to negotiate directly with that developer, or alternatively to go out for bid — but that selecting a developer first gives the village more discretion over how a property is ultimately developed. Asked how delinquent properties are publicized, he said tax-delinquent properties generally go to the county for tax sale.

In effect, one trustee summarized, the village would be choosing the developer rather than simply selling the property, allowing the board, the village attorney and village engineers to review proposed plans against the property’s value before proceeding. Gryczewski said other villages have used similar programs successfully to rehabilitate properties needing work.

Following a motion and a second, the board adopted the measure on a 6-0 roll-call vote as Ordinance No. 2141.