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Council introduces ordinance to establish procedures for sale of adjudicated properties
Summary
Councilmembers introduced an ordinance to adopt the procedures for selling city-adjudicated properties and discussed possibly inviting an outside consultant to explain a claims-clearing process.
NATCHITOCHES, La. — The council introduced Ordinance 11 of 2025, a lengthy measure to establish procedures for the sale of adjudicated properties the city holds because of unpaid taxes.
Councilmember Harrington read the ordinance in title, saying it implements procedures for pre-bidding, public sale, notice to debtors, closings and purchaser affidavits consistent with Act 819 (as read at the meeting) and related statute language referenced during the reading. He said the goal is to move adjudicated properties back into private ownership so they are maintained and produce tax revenue again.
Harrington said the city could contract with a specialized consultant or attorney experienced in clearing titles and returning adjudicated parcels to the tax roll; he referenced an outside process and an entity he called "E and P Consultant Service," and mentioned CivicSource in passing as a different approach. "This is designed to get those properties that have been adjudicated to the city back into commerce," he said.
The ordinance covers detailed sale procedures but was introduced only; no final vote occurred. Harrington said he may invite the presenter he saw at a conference (who described a process used elsewhere) to attend a future meeting by Zoom so councilmembers can learn more about the consultant model.
The item will return for later consideration with potential consultant briefings and proposed procedure language.
