Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tax Resale topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commissioners approve private tax resale for landlocked Lake Somerville parcel
Summary
Washington County commissioners approved a private tax resale for a landlocked parcel near Lake Somerville under Texas Property Tax Code §34.05 after staff said the bid would return the property to the tax rolls despite limited proceeds to the county.
Washington County Commissioners Court approved a private tax resale for a landlocked parcel near Lake Somerville, citing the benefit of returning the property to the tax roll even though the county’s share of the sale proceeds will be minimal.
County staff representative Leslie (identified in the meeting as “Leslie” and appearing on the record for the county’s tax process) told the court the property has been held in the tax trust since 2017 and had been struck off to the taxing jurisdictions after earlier tax-sale proceedings. The parcel adjoins land controlled by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is heavily wooded and partially condemned, and has limited or unclear access from neighboring parcels, she said.
Leslie said the delinquency dated back to 2004, that the amount originally due at the time of the tax judgment was roughly $10,000, and that a nearby owner has submitted a private resale bid of $4,384. She explained Washington County’s prorated share under the distribution priorities in the Property Tax Code would be about 19 percent of the sale proceeds — roughly $243 after required fees and post-judgment allocations — and that the bid, while less than the judgment amount, would clear the property’s exempt/trust status and put it back on the tax rolls going forward.
Commissioners discussed access concerns and whether the buyer would have legal access across adjacent lands or need an agreement with a neighbor; staff said those details had not been confirmed. Staff also noted that if the purchaser fails to keep taxes current the property could re-enter the tax-sale process.
A motion to approve the private tax resale under Texas Property Tax Code §34.05 was made and seconded on the record and carried by voice vote.
The court did not record specifics about future access arrangements, and staff said the county’s immediate role was limited to accepting or rejecting the resale offer under the statutory resale process. The court’s approval accepts the bid as proposed and returns the parcel to taxable status, with the practical effect that the county will receive only a small prorated share from the current resale amount.
