by Joe Wilhelm Jr.
Staff Writer
Two town hall meetings with people affected by the recent foreclosure boom have produced three areas that Jacksonville City Council member Kevin Hyde would like to see the City address to lower the rate of foreclosures.
The first area is educating the public on the foreclosure process and what help is available for them.
“We need to develop a comprehensive packet of information that we can hand someone to help direct them through the process,” said Hyde, an attorney at Foley & Lardner. “And get them the proper help and services they need.”
The second area will involve working with the City’s Office of General Counsel to create a foreclosure filing fee.
“This fee can help fund a mediation program that was suggested by (U.S. Bankruptcy) Judge (Jerry)Funk,” said Hyde.
The third area would be researching ways to disseminate information to people before they are in foreclosure.
“We can talk to JTA about placing a public service announcement on the back of buses and ask the JEA to include foreclosure information on the bills it sends out,” said Hyde. “We need to develop a media campaign that is not costly, and, with some work, I think we can achieve that.”
Now that information has been gathered and responses from the community have been heard, Hyde plans to have the program on paper and in front of the Council by March.
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