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Deal pays tax bill for city official
By BRADY DENNIS
© St. Petersburg Times, ZEPHYRHILLS -- City Council member Michael Bussell no longer has to worry about the property taxes he has failed to pay since 1998. Somebody paid them for him. Bussell recently settled out of court on a foreclosure lawsuit filed against him in April on a house he owned on Lincoln Avenue, according to county records. Bussell bought the house from local resident William Oparowski, who agreed to carry the mortgage. Oparowski claimed that Bussell hadn't made a payment on the home in more than a year. So he sued. Court records show that Bussell did not dispute the claim. As part of the settlement, Bussell turned the house back over to Oparowski, who then paid the late taxes. "It was settled in an amicable way," Bussell said Tuesday. "I"m glad it's over." He referred other questions about the case to his lawyer, Michael Sierra, who is on vacation until July. Oparowski could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Bussell, who makes $400 a month as a City Council member, has said he didn't have the money to pay the taxes, which totaled about $1,900 from the county and $500 from the city over the past three years. He said he got into financial trouble shortly after he bought the home from Oparowski. Bussell said he was unable to work because of a disability starting in 1998, and he sold his shipping business. He said he was unwilling to boot tenants out of the rental property when they couldn't pay and without their money, he couldn't pay the mortgage or taxes. Bussell drew a wave of criticism when he failed to report the rental property on financial disclosure forms when he signed up to run for City Council two years in a row. He said he didn't list the house as an asset because he already knew the foreclosure was coming. According to county records, the Lincoln Avenue home is the only property he owns in the county. He rents the Zephyrhills home he shares with his wife.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
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