Kurylo: “Happy” Broome Lawmakers Moving to Change Policy

A state of Maine man who's been fighting to keep a family home on Binghamton's West Side says he's "happy" the Broome County legislature is prepared to revise what he calls "inhumane" foreclosure policies.

But Volodymyr Kurylo insists his family's suffering could have been avoided if county officials had tried to help when he initially offered to pay back taxes and penalties.

Kurylo says Broome County officials had not been helpful in trying to reach an equitable solution that would have insured the home on Arthur Street wouldn't be sold at auction.

County lawmakers Monday announced plans to change foreclosure policies in the aftermath of news coverage involving the Kurylo family and after they became aware of other property owners facing similar situations.

Kurylo believes the move to revise the policies would not have occurred without the news coverage of his family's plight.

The legislature is scheduled to hold a special session Thursday afternoon to consider making some changes in the rules that were approved by lawmakers in 2010.

Kurylo says because of the county's resources, his family now faces "thousands of dollars in legal expenses" incurred in the fight to keep the home from being sold.