§ 141.984 RSMo — Transfer of title of certain property, when — income to be tax-exempt — acquisition of property

1. Within one year of the effective date of the ordinance or resolution passed establishing a land bank agency under this chapter, title to any real property held by a land trust created pursuant to section 141.700 that is located wholly within the municipality that created the land bank agency shall be transferred by deed to such land bank agency.

2. The income of a land bank agency shall be exempt from all taxation by the state and by any of its political subdivisions. Upon acquiring title to any real estate, a land bank agency shall immediately notify the county assessor and the collector of such ownership, and such real estate shall be exempt from all taxation during the land bank agency's ownership thereof, in the same manner and to the same extent as any other publicly owned real estate, and upon the sale or other disposition of any real estate held by it, such land bank agency shall immediately notify the county assessor and the collector of such change of ownership; provided however, that such tax exemption for improved and occupied real property held by such land bank agency as lessor pursuant to a ground lease shall terminate upon the first such occupancy, and such land bank agency shall immediately notify the county assessor and the collector of such occupancy.

3. Subject to the limitation set forth in subsection 1 of section 141.980 , a land bank agency may acquire real property or interests in property by gift, devise, transfer, exchange, foreclosure, purchase, or pursuant to sections 141.560 to 141.580 or section 141.819 * . A land bank agency may only purchase real property for the purpose of adding to a parcel already owned by the land bank agency.

4. Subject to the limitation set forth in subsection 1 of section 141.980 , a land bank agency may acquire property by purchase contracts, installment sales contracts, and land contacts, and may accept transfers from political subdivisions upon such terms and conditions as agreed to by the land bank agency and the political subdivision. Subject to the limitation set forth in subsection 1 of section 141.980 , a land bank agency may bid on any parcel of real estate offered for sale at a sheriff's foreclosure sale held in accordance with section 141.550 . Notwithstanding any other law to the contrary, but subject to the limitation set forth in subsection 1 of section 141.980 , any political subdivision may transfer to the land bank agency real property and interests in real property of the political subdivision on such terms and conditions and according to such procedures as determined by the political subdivision.

5. A land bank agency shall maintain all of its real property in accordance with the laws and ordinances of the jurisdictions in which the real property is located.

6. Upon confirmation under section 141.580 of a sheriff's foreclosure sale of a parcel of real estate to a land bank agency under subdivision (2) of subsection 2 of section 141.550 , said land bank agency shall pay the amount of the land bank agency's bid that exceeds the amount of all tax bills included in the judgment, interest, penalties, attorney's fees and costs then due thereon. Such excess shall be applied and distributed in accordance with subsections 3 and 4 of section 141.580 , exclusive of subdivision (3) of subsection 3 thereof. Upon such confirmation by the court, the collector shall mark the tax bills included in the judgment as "cancelled by sale to the land bank" and shall take credit for the full amount of such tax bills, including principal amount, interest, penalties, attorney's fees, and costs, on the collector's books and in the collector's statements with any other taxing authorities.