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County hears treasurer: hold 2021 tax-sale list, too few parcels to cover fees
Summary
Coffee County Treasurer Richard Kroll told commissioners the October tax-sale list contains mostly low-value vacant parcels; the treasurer recommended deferring action to include later years so sales can cover statutory fees. Commissioners signaled agreement and directed staff to wait, allowing property owners more time to pay.
Coffee County Treasurer Richard Kroll told the Board of County Commissioners that only 17 parcels tied to 2021 delinquent taxes would currently be eligible for a tax sale and that many of those parcels are too small in assessed value to cover redemption and administrative fees.
Kroll said, “So the only thing that would be eligible for a tax sale currently would be the 17 parcels that are listed for 2021.” He explained statutory fees and redemption costs — attorney fees, land title search costs and other charges — can total about $800–$900 per parcel and that parcels with less than about $1,000 in delinquent taxes often “wind up costing us money.”
That, he said, is why smaller parcels often “get rolled over into the next year according to statute.” Commissioners discussed the prospect of including 2022 delinquencies but Kroll said timing rules meant 2022 could not be included now and the county would have more eligible parcels if it waited until the 3‑year delinquency threshold was met for additional years. Commissioner Peterson said he supported “Richard’s recommendation on holding off.”
County elected officials and staff noted collateral effects of a sale of rundown town properties — cleanup costs, potential dumping and waived fees that reduce any net proceeds — and observed that sending a formal notice and conducting the sale immediately would add roughly $700 in extra costs to each parcel, which could motivate some property owners to pay before a sale but would also increase the amount they must clear to redeem the property.
Rather than authorizing a tax sale at this time, the board accepted the treasurer’s recommendation to delay and directed staff to continue outreach. Kroll said his outreach has had results: letters sent earlier cleared 14 parcels and collected roughly $20,000 in taxes. Commissioners asked that staff continue to notify owners and explore options to return viable parcels to the tax roll through voluntary sales or rehabilitation.
No formal resolution to proceed with a sale was made; the board’s direction was to hold the 2021 tax-sale list for now and revisit the matter when additional years become eligible under statute.
