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RESOLUTION ACCEPTING VARIOUS RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE FINAL REPORT OF THE MIAMI-DADE COUNTY GRAND JURY RELATED TO MORTGAGE FORECLOSURE CRISIS; DIRECTING THE MAYOR OR DESIGNEE TO IMPLEMENT THE ACCEPTED RECOMMENDATIONS RELATED TO MIAMI-DADE COUNTY TO THE EXTENT FEASIBLE GIVEN CURRENT BUDGET CONSTRAINTS

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WHEREAS, the Miami-Dade County Grand Jury for the Fall Term 2008 issued a report dated June 10, 2009 entitled �Recommendations for Extinguishing Florida�s Foreclosure Fires� (�Grand Jury Report�), a copy of is attached and incorporated by reference herein; and
WHEREAS, the Grand Jury Report reviewed the mortgage foreclosure crisis both nationally and specifically in Miami-Dade County as well as the initiatives that have currently been undertaken at various levels and branches of government to address the situation; and
WHEREAS, based on its review, the Grand Jury Report made various recommendations, some of which related specifically to Miami-Dade County government, including the following recommendations:
1. The County should establish a Foreclosure Hotline that residents can use to obtain information about foreclosure prevention, financial counseling, housing counseling and free legal assistance.
2. Until a Foreclosure Hotline is created, the County should ensure that operators staffing its 3-1-1 Answer Center are able to provide such information to County residents. And, after the hotline is created, the 3-1-1 Answer Center should be prepared to direct such inquiries to that hotline.
3. To increase the effectiveness of the CHAMP Program, the County should conduct an advertising and marketing campaign to educate the public about the benefits and legitimacy of the mandatory mediation of mortgage foreclosure cases.
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The County should modify the homepage of its website to include information about foreclosure prevention. We also recommend the County consider Ohio�s foreclosure prevention website as a starting point for possible enhancement of the County�s Foreclosure Prevention Now website. The County could secure many benefits for its residents by creating a website with similar basic information and links to other helpful sites.
5. The County should prepare a mailer advising residents of available foreclosure prevention assistance. The mailer should be included in all utility bills and the County should fund the costs of formulating and disseminating the mailer.
6. Homeowners who are eligible to receive forgivable loans from OCED�s foreclosure prevention fund should receive financial counseling as a requirement of the program.
7. The County should move expeditiously towards using community centers and libraries as sources for information about foreclosure prevention programs; and
WHEREAS, implementing the recommendations listed above to the extent possible given the County�s current budgetary constraints significantly could assist residents of Miami-Dade County facing foreclosure,
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA, that this Board:
Section 1. Accepts seven (7) recommendations of the Final Report of the Miami-Dade County Grand Jury related to the mortgage foreclosure crisis that pertain to Miami-Dade County government as set forth above.
Section 2. Directs the Mayor or Designee to implement these seven (7) recommendations of the Grand Jury related to Miami-Dade County to the maximum extent possible given current budget constraints.
Section 3. Directs the Mayor or Designee to provide a progress report on implementation to the Board within 60 days of the effective date of this resolution.