Franklin County Plans Tax Sale
February 23, 2009
Just inside the door at Franklin County’s tax records office, Lynda Messenger, the County Treasurer, shows off her hard work.
“This is a computer printout of all the delinquent real estate taxes we have,” she said as she held up a thick blue book. She thumbed through page after page, dating back to 1986.
“It bothers me there’s one tract that’s 20 years owed on it,” she said.
The taxes that were never paid total more than $264,000. Now the county’s Board of Supervisors has given Messenger the ok to try to sell those tracts of land for taxes.
“This is the last resort. We’ve done everything we know to do to collect the money and there’s nothing to do but a sale to clear it up,” she said.
In many cases, Messenger said the owners died years ago. She said the there were about 10 lots at the Melody Lake Estates that haven’t been paid in taxes. In this case, a man who passed away had owed money since 1992, she said.
Once Messenger finds a firm to work the tax sales, the firm will have to get in touch with property heirs.
“Maybe a grandfather passed away years ago and maybe nobody wants to pay because they won’t get anymore out of it,” she said.
Then the news of the tax sale will have to published in the paper.
During a time everybody has to watch their money, she said, “Of course, this would be extra money we don’t have, which could be spread over different departments the county would deem most necessary.”