The County Treasurer told the Finance and Budget Committee that when county tax records were broken out by town the office identified roughly $3 million in unpaid property taxes dating from 1994 through 2024, of which about $1 million appears tied to bankruptcy cases.

At the committee meeting the treasurer said the county previously reported $12 million in outstanding taxes in its Q2 budget-variance report but that, after drilling down by town, “we had some taxes still on the books… from 1994 all the way up to 2024 to the approximate tune of $3,000,000. Approximately 1,000,000 of that is in bankruptcy,” the treasurer said.

The treasurer said staff are reconciling different systems and will return to the committee with exact totals and any required write-off recommendations. “The good news is the tax system has a lot higher number than potentially New World has, so it may not be as big as I was concerned about,” the treasurer said, referring to discrepancies between legacy tax records and the county’s New World system.

Why it matters: Outstanding property tax balances affect county cash flow and the general fund. The treasurer said the numbers will be finalized and presented to the Finance Committee next month so supervisors can see exactly what, if any, amounts need to be written off.

Committee response and next steps: Committee members asked for lists of affected properties. The treasurer said he had previously sent a town-level list and offered to provide a parcel-level list of about 20 properties, including categories that may preclude collection (bankruptcy, environmental issues, etc.). No write-offs were approved at the meeting; staff will provide a detailed reconciliation at the next committee meeting.