Joseph T. Burns: “I take the floor today to ask that we finally help the town of Conrad, MT continue its successful program of providing…”

“I take the floor today to ask that we finally help the town of Conrad, MT continue its successful program of providing affordable housing for our seniors. I renew my commitment to making sure this occurs. In the defense authorization act of 1994, the Air Force conveyed an unused 42-acre parcel of land to the city of Conrad, which then built a retirement home for Montana seniors. The home has been a great success, and the city of Conrad has begun the process of expanding the facility. When the city proposed using the land as collateral for the home, it ran into a problem. In the quitclaim deed where we conveyed the land to the city, we included a customary reversion clause that would transfer the property back to the Department of Defense in the event that the land stopped being used for the purpose of housing or public recreation. While the intent of this clause is and will continue to be met, a small city like Conrad must use the title to the land to secure construction loans, rather than issuing a municipal bond or some other measure to raise funds used by larger cities. The reversion clause prevents banks from using the land to secure the loan, as the city does not have clear title to the land. Therefore, I ask the Senate to approve this modification to public law 103-160, section 2816 regarding the 42 acre site of the Blue Sky Villa, which removes the reversion clause for this land, giving the city of Conrad clear title.…”