When the Scott County delinquent property tax sale list was first advertised early September there were 151 parcels with back taxes owed. By the time of last Friday’s tax sale on Oct. 18 began, that list had been pared down to 48 after property owners paid taxes owed prior to the sale.
The tax sale was a live auction in the commissioner’s room at the Scott County Courthouse.
The 39 parcels sold owed a total of $202,349.85 in unpaid property taxes and fees. There were six successful bidders who paid a total of $587,696.60 for those parcels. There were 16 bidders registered for the tax sale auction.
“The county is only interested in the taxes owed,” said Scott County Treasurer Missy Applegate. “The amount paid over the taxes owed will go into a surplus tax sale fund.”
She added, “Tax sales are a necessary function of county government. It is only fair to the people who pay their property taxes every year to pursue those who do not pay.”
County Auditor Jennifer Hamelman explained that those properties sold last week can be redeemed by their owners by paying the taxes plus 10% for up to the next six months; after that the interest increases to 15%. Upon redemption, the surplus paid by the successful bidder will be returned to that bidder with interest.
Nine properties, with a total of $16,675.49 in unpaid taxes, failed to obtain the minimum bid of taxes owed.
The Scott County Commissioners can now decide whether to have a Commissioners’ Certificate Sale to sell the nine properties that failed to receive a minimum bid for taxes owed and have them placed back on the roles earning taxes for the county. Typically, at a certificate sale the minimum beginning bid is $200.
Successful bidders included:
•2K21 LLC, Kyle Walton & Ken Temple of Salem purchased 5 properties for $93,000.
•M&M Investment Group LLC, Michael Ellis of Cortland, purchased 9 properties for a total of $218,000.
•Zach Guernsey of Scottsburg purchased 1 parcel for $15,000.
•PeeDee 23, LLC of Buford, Georgia purchased 18 properties for $233,094.26.
•Ida & Dale McGuire of Scottsburg purchased 1 parcel for the minimum bid of $298.25.
•Chris Albertson of Sellersburg purchased 5 properties for $28,304.09.