County to restart tax-sale process with Crawford County Abstract; fees and timeline likely to rise

County officials told the commission they expect to move forward with resuming delinquent property tax-sale work and will contract with Crawford County Abstract and an outside law firm to complete the current sale and begin catching up on past years' delinquencies. A county presenter said Michelle (the law firm representative who previously briefed commissioners) met with Crawford County Abstract to arrange title work and sale administration. The county expects an agreement for the law firm to conduct the sale; that paperwork was expected to arrive by email soon, the presenter said. Why it matters: the tax-sale process recovers unpaid property taxes and can return delinquent parcels to the tax roll; changes to service, title and publication costs affect how and when owners can redeem property and the ultimate cost to delinquent taxpayers. Officials noted legal and publication timelines that limit how quickly sales can proceed: a roughly 45-day publication period for service by publication, plus a 60-day interval for sale notice, make it unlikely the county can complete many sales before year-end. The presenter estimated that many parcels have been redeemed (reducing the list) and that about 30–40 parcels likely remain to process for title work. County staff said the vendor fees for parcel processing are currently about $250 per parcel as set by the court but will increase under the new arrangement; the presenter estimated future redemption costs could reach $500–$600 per parcel when legal fees and publication costs are included. Officials said these costs are borne by the delinquent taxpayer, not the general taxpayer. No formal action was taken; the update outlined next steps for signing an agreement and beginning the sales process under the new vendor arrangement.