[Adopted 12-18-2007 by L.L. No. 40-2007 (Ch. 32, Art. I, of the 1985 Code)]
A. 
This Legislature hereby finds and determines that the County of Suffolk often acquires title to property as a result of a prior owner's failure to pay taxes after all rights of redemption have been extinguished.
B. 
This Legislature also finds and determines that some property may also be acquired by the County through condemnation proceedings.
C. 
This Legislature further finds and determines that prior to any public auction of surplus property the County is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of these parcels of land.
D. 
This Legislature finds that the Suffolk County Sheriff has continued to implement a program, known as the "Sheriff's Labor Assistance Program (SLAP)," whereby low-risk offenders of the Suffolk County Correctional Facility are put to work maintaining County-owned land, including removing graffiti and cleaning up trash.
[Amended 9-15-2011 by L.L. No. 49-2011]
E. 
This Legislature determines that in order to offset the cost of maintaining these properties until they are auctioned, those individuals purchasing such property should pay a nominal fee, the cost of which would be less than having the property maintained by a private-sector company.
F. 
Therefore, the purpose of this article is to impose a surcharge on the purchase of surplus County property at public auction to offset the cost of maintaining such properties.
There shall be imposed on the purchase of all surplus County property sold at public auction a surcharge for each parcel purchased, in addition to any other fees and/or surcharges imposed, which surcharge shall be collected at closing and in accordance with the auction terms and conditions promulgated by the County Division of Real Property Acquisition and Management, and which surcharge shall be deposited with the Suffolk County Sheriff for the sole purpose of funding the Sheriff's Labor Assistance Program (SLAP) or any successor program thereto. This surcharge shall be collected according to the following schedule:
A. 
A surcharge of 0.5% on winning bids between $0 and $50,000;
B. 
A surcharge of 0.75% on winning bids between $50,001 and $100,000; and
C. 
A surcharge of 1% on winning bids between $100,001 and $250,000, said surcharge to be applied only to the first $250,000 for winning bids exceeding that amount.
No moneys collected pursuant to this article shall be expended for any other purpose other than that outlined herein, unless expressly authorized by duly enacted resolution.
The Suffolk County Sheriff is hereby authorized, empowered and directed to file a report with the Clerk of the County Legislature, within 120 days after the effective date of this article, detailing what policies and procedures have been undertaken by the Sheriff to implement the provisions of this article.
This article shall apply to all public auctions of surplus County property occurring on or after the effective date of this article.