Greg, a county staff member, told the Washington County Board of Supervisors that he has three properties that would be “great candidates for a land bank situation to kinda test drive to see if it's something would work for us.” He asked the board to allow him to withhold those properties from an auction scheduled to begin Sept. 10 while the county explores creating a land bank.

The request came during the meeting's privilege-of-the-floor period. Greg said changes in the real property tax law “may have made land banks more relevant” and described a land bank as “somebody who will administer properties that are usually used for they they're usually like an economic development tool.” He noted that if the board later decides not to form a land bank, the county could put the properties back up for auction.

The nut graf: A land bank would let the county transfer tax‑delinquent parcels to a separate entity that can pursue demolition, rehabilitation or other redevelopment steps without the county immediately taking ownership and selling, which could preserve options for reuse while addressing blight or development needs.

Board discussion was limited and framed as a committee-level policy decision. Chairman and multiple supervisors indicated they did not want to debate details on the floor and that the topic should go to committee for further consideration. When the chairman asked if anyone objected to Greg holding the three properties pending review, no member rose to oppose; one supervisor said, “I know I'll support it.” Greg also clarified operational timing: under his current process he does not submit properties to the county clerk until the night before the auction, and signs for the auction had already been posted.

No formal motion or recorded roll-call vote was taken to pull the properties. The board’s response amounted to informal consent to allow staff time to present a committee-level proposal on establishing a land bank and to review the three parcels as a pilot. Greg said the legal documents to create a land bank would take additional time and that withdrawing the properties from the impending sale would be reversible if supervisors chose not to proceed.

Ending: The matter will return to a committee for a fuller discussion of land bank creation, with staff continuing to prepare formation documents and to brief the board on options before the Sept. 10 auction date.