Cuyahoga County committee holds $40 million tax-lien sale proposal after procurement and contract concerns

The Cuyahoga County Community Development and Housing Committee declined to advance a resolution that would authorize a tax-certificate sale agreement with NAR Solutions, Inc., doing business as NAR Ohio LLC, for up to $40,000,000 in tax-lien certificates for the period Nov. 1, 2025, through Nov. 30, 2027.

The proposal, presented by Brad Grama, Cuyahoga County treasurer, asked the committee to decide whether to move the legislation forward after a procurement process that used an informal solicitation rather than a formal purchasing solicitation. Paul Porter, director of the Department of Purchasing, said the solicitation was open for 30 days and then reissued for two business days, producing five total responses (three in the initial round and two to the reissue). Porter said the reissue responded to a technical display error in the supplier portal and that 48 vendors registered under the financial-services commodity code were notified and that the National Tax Lien Association was also alerted.

"This one was open for 30 days initially, the same required length that we have for formal solicitations," Paul Porter said, adding that the solicitation included a scoring rubric and a multi-person review panel.

Several committee members rejected the procurement…