(a) The purposes of land patent proceedings are to: (1) Avoid uncertainties caused by the existence of vacant land, by promptly ruling on the claim of a patent applicant; (2) Give governmental bodies priority in reserving vacant land for public use; and (3) In the absence of public need, benefit the community by expanding the tax base as previously untaxed, vacant land is recognized and made to contribute its rightful share towards financing government. (b) It is the intention of the General Assembly, therefore, that the State's land patent proceedings provide a simple, convenient, and prompt method for reserving vacant land for the public use of governmental bodies, for promoting private ownership of vacant land and, in certain instances, for clarifying the ownership of land previously patented.
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