The Legislature finds and declares as follows:

(1) Nebraska’s municipalities are important to the social and economic vitality of the state, and many municipalities are struggling to cope with vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties;

(2) Vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties represent lost revenue to municipalities and large costs associated with demolition, safety hazards, and the deterioration of neighborhoods;

(3) There is an overriding public need to confront the problems caused by vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties through the creation of new tools for municipalities to use to turn vacant spaces into vibrant places; and

(4) Land banks are one of the tools that can be utilized by municipalities to facilitate the return of vacant, abandoned, and tax-delinquent properties to productive use.