Property owners who owe back taxes, now would be a good time to pay them.
The county will hold a delinquent tax sale Tuesday, October 1.
The sales are in keeping with efforts by Tax Commissioner Terresa Davis to collect back taxes.
“I am keeping my commitment to taxpayers to hold tax sales regularly,” says Davis. “Collection of past due taxes are part of my duties and it is what the citizens elected me to do.”
A total of 85 parcels of local property representing some $142,741.98 in delinquent taxes will be sold on the courthouse steps next month. The past-due amounts range from a low of $241.69 to a high of $15,929.90 The past-due taxes date back as far as 2010.
Public notices describing each property being planned for auction are included in today’s edition and will continue running throughout September.
The tax sales are the culmination of a threemonth process.
Once the tax commissioner’s office sends a delinquent/ fi fa notice and the accompanying 30-day grace period expires, a fi fa is filed with the Clerk of Court. The tax commissioner then adds the fi fa cost to the tax bill.
In 2004, Pierce County contracted with Government Tax Solutions (GTS) of Carrollton to help collect the county’s back taxes. GTS has already sent warning letters, certified letters (to taxpayers and lienholders) and 10 day notices and has followed up with legal research. The parcels are now being advertised for sale.
GTS’s services come at no cost to county taxpayers at large. The company assesses its fee on the bill of the delinquent accounts. GTS collects a $65 service fee on the courtesy notice and receives $145 on the second notice to cover the title research. Public notice costs are added to the bill prior to advertising.
