Property

When Connie Marie Shore was indicted on five drug possession and distribution charges in February, she and her 1976 Chevy truck were taken into custody.A decision on the Westminster woman's guilt or innocence won't be made until June 24.But a decision on the fate of her truck already has been made. Shore spotted it at Petry's Junk Yard on Gorsuch Road, bought by the yard's owners at auction.In prosecution of drug crimes, it is perfectly legal -- and routine -- to seize property belonging to people suspected of drug offenses and dispose of it regardless of their guilt or innocence.

Dear Mr. Azrael:I would like some information on how the city can force a property owner out of their property if they refuse to sell it.I recently attended a meeting for a cousin of mine because she had received a letter from the city for acquisition of her property to make way for the new 260 family homes known as the Julian Murphy Garden.I never received notice for my house, but learned at the meeting that the 1000 block of Argyle Avenue may be torn down, too. Please explain this matter to me.Mirdies O. ParrottBaltimoreDear Ms. Parrott:Article III, Section 40A governs the type of condemnation by Baltimore that you describe in your letter.

Dear Mr. Azrael, I have a rental property that is currently titled in my name. For asset protection purposes and estate planning, I want to place the property in a land trust and I have several questions: Are there any particular issues about land trusts in Maryland that I should consider? And I understand I can transfer title to this land trust entity without any transfer taxes due?, Jim Fuller Baltimore Dear Mr. Fuller: A transfer of real property is subject to transfer and recordation taxes unless a specific exemption applies.

WASHINGTON -- In a potent victory for the nation's newly militant defenders of private property, the Supreme Court sharply narrowed yesterday the power of government to take away land rights as a condition for allowing development.Splitting 5-4, the court relied on the constitutional clause that says government must pay compensation for "taking" property.That clause, the court majority said, puts a distinct curb on government demands that a landowner forgo property rights to qualify for a benefit from the government.

Some things never seem to change -- including downtown Butler.After months of speculation about the future of the north Baltimore County hamlet where chunks of commercial property have been for sale, the fate of one key piece is decided.Ann "Pat" Parks, owner of the Butler Store and Liquors, purchased for an undisclosed price this week the half-acre where her business and the community post office stand."I like things to stay just as they are in Butler," said Parks, whose family has owned the general store since 1948.

Elmer Johnson came to Baltimore's annual auction of tax-delinquent properties looking for a bargain -- a house for only a few hundred dollars.Mr. Johnson, a transportation supervisor for Roadway Package System, joined 400 others crammed into the War Memorial yesterday, hoping to buy a few houses in his Northwood neighborhood to rent out.The original owners have six months to pay their taxes and regain their properties, and 90 percent do, said Assistant City...

The Westminster City Council may try to shape the future of the former Farmers Supply Co. property through zoning changes, rather than by buying and reselling the downtown site.Council members have been interested in how the property develops since it was identified as a key site in a downtown revitalization study last year. The 1 acre, in the first block of Liberty St., has been on the market since 1989."This valuable property would be an ideal location for a quality housing development or office complex within the immediate future," according to the study, done for the city by consultants HyettPalma.

Mr. Azrael: My new husband bought some property in Deep Creek Lake about 20 years ago with his then- girlfriend. It is in both their names. She has been deceased for 10 years. They were married for two months before she died. (The name on the property was not changed to her married name.) I don't know if this was part of her estate. Her father was the executor of her will. Hopefully, we would not have to involve him in the process. We just need to get her name off of the property. I am not interested in putting my name on it. What would be involved?

WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court ruled yesterday that employers cannot meet their financing obligations to employee pension plans by selling or transferring real property to the plans.In an 8-1 decision, the court overturned a ruling by a federal appeals court in New Orleans that federal pension regulators had viewed as opening a loophole in the rules governing defined-benefit plans.Under these plans, employees earn the right to a particular level of retirement benefits, usually based on pay and length of service, with the employer required to maintain the plan at an adequate fund level.

The New Windsor Town Council has decided to raise the rent on the town's Water Street property for the first time in nearly 20 years.Although a binding vote was not taken, the council decided at its work session Thursday to increase the monthly rent from $35 to $50, including utilities, on the 5 acres of meadowland along Little Pipe Creek. The property is rented by Councilman Kenny Grimes.Former Mayor H. Cassell Roop tried to make Mr. Grimes' council position an issue when he complained about the low rent on the property and the free water being used for the councilman's small herd of livestock.