A delinquent property tax sale is scheduled for June 8 at the Allen County Courthouse.
About 62 parcels are eligible for the auction after a lengthy process that was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. On Friday, a judge granted judgment against the delinquent property owners, clearing one of the final hurdles before the sale.
Those owners still have one last opportunity to prevent their properties from being sold, Allen County Counselor Bob Johnson said. They have until the day of the sale to settle the account but must pay additional penalties and fees.
Otherwise, the parcels will be sold in an auction conducted by Sheriff Bryan Murphy starting at 9 a.m. in the courtroom.
At that point, potential buyers will face a vetting process. They cannot purchase property if related to the owner, and cannot purchase property if they also have delinquent property taxes.
Buyers will need to pay with either a cashier’s check, cash or money order. No personal checks are accepted.
It will take about 60 days after the auction to finalize the sale.
“Tax sales are quite the process,” Johnson told commissioners at their meeting on Tuesday.
The county started with a list of 225 parcels and have since collected about $700,000. The goal of the tax sale is to either bring taxes current, or sell the property to someone who will pay property taxes. Often, parcels that are sold in tax sales are dilapidated properties or vacant lots.
The county will need to publish a notice about the sale prior to the auction.
Johnson said his goal is to have a tax sale every two or three years.
