Act 33 was enacted and signed into law on June 18, 2018 to provide counties with greater flexibility in combating blight. The new law, which takes effect 60 days after signing, allows a county to designate a redevelopment authority as the land bank for its jurisdiction.

Since 2012, counties have had the ability to establish land banks under the Pennsylvania Land Bank Act. Land banks are independent public entities created to expedite the process of acquiring and rehabilitating blighted, dilapidated and abandoned real estate. They often work together with redevelopment authorities to help eliminate blight in local communities. But while land banks have been crucial in this fight, many Pennsylvania counties have had active redevelopment authorities performing similar functions for over half a century.
Continue Reading Law Allows Counties to Designate Redevelopment Authorities as Land Banks

Monetization is the process of converting assets into economic value. Looking for options to generate greater revenue, municipalities and public sector entities have begun to consider the transfer to private operators of a greater variety of public assets than in the past. There has also been the development recently of more creative and profitable public-private partnerships.
Continue Reading Generating Value from Public Assets

Municipalities have been looking for new ways to “monetize” publicly owned assets to help fund pension obligations and relieve budgetary pressures. Especially attractive is the transfer of a municipal water or wastewater system to a private operator.

Such a transfer may be accomplished by entering into a long-term lease with a private operator, under what

I recently published an article in The Legal Intelligencer titled, “Real Estate Matters in Monetizing Municipal Assets.” From the article:

Municipalities under financial pressure from rising budgetary costs and long-term obligations are increasingly looking for options to “monetize” publicly owned assets through transfers to private entities. Especially attractive are municipal water and wastewater systems. With