Josephine County approves sale process for surplus land, signs two property sale documents

Josephine County commissioners on Aug. 7 authorized a sealed-bid sheriff sale of surplus county property, signed documents to complete a five-year land-sale contract for 153 Krause Lane and approved a quitclaim deed for a small parcel at 151 Finch Road.

County legal staff described the sealed-bid process and the county’s plan to publish a notice for four weeks in the Grants Pass Daily Courier and on the county’s real property web page. "Order 2025Dash063 is authorizing a public sheriff sale to sell real property that we have identified as surplus," Legal staff Helene told the board. She said bids would be submitted to the Treasury Office and that auction details and bid forms would be posted on the county’s Real Property Management website.

The measures matter because they move long-held, underused parcels back into private ownership and back onto the tax rolls, commissioners said. The board approved the order by a 3-0 roll-call vote: Commissioner Smith, Commissioner Barnett and Commissioner Black voted yes.

In a related action, the board signed documents to complete a memorandum of contract and land-sale contract for 153 Krause Lane, a parcel that previously went to sheriff’s auction. Helene said the offer met the minimum bid at the prior auction and included a 20% deposit. She said proceeds would first satisfy unpaid taxes to taxing districts, then reimburse property-management administrative costs and property-reserve cleanup expenses; because cleanup costs on that lot were extensive, there would be no surplus proceeds available to prior owners.

Helene asked the board to sign the five-year contract, under which the purchaser pays annual property taxes during the contract term and brings the parcel back onto the tax rolls. The commissioners voted 3-0 to approve board order 2025-064.

The board also approved board order 2025-065, selling a 0.1-acre parcel at 151 Finch Road by private sale and issuing a quitclaim deed. Helene cited Oregon statute ORS 275.225 in explaining that foreclosure property valued under $15,000 and unsuited for residential construction may be sold by private sale rather than going to auction. The county received a full payment of $22,501 for the parcel, which adjoins the purchaser’s property; county staff said the parcel is too small to build upon and that the buyer is the adjacent neighbor. Proceeds were to cover property-management administrative costs and be directed to the county parks department; the board voted 3-0 to approve.

The board clerk called the roll on each order. For 2025-063, 2025-064 and 2025-065 the vote was recorded as Commissioner Smith — yes; Commissioner Barnett — yes; Commissioner Black — yes.

County staff noted the parcels include a mix of long-held and recently added properties, and that some are forestry parcels identified by the county forestry director, Dave Streeter, as candidates for disposal. Helene said copies of notices and bid forms for the sheriff sale would be available at the Board of County Commissioners window and that questions could be directed to her by phone or email as listed on the web posting.

The board’s actions on Aug. 7 set the formal sale process in motion and closed two specific sales. Notices, bid forms and further auction instructions will be posted on the county website and published in the Grants Pass Daily Courier per the order.

Details: bids for the sheriff sale were described as due by 4 p.m. on Sept. 16, with an auction opening time referenced by staff as 10 a.m. on a date she corrected aloud during presentation; the official notice and website posting will state the final auction-opening date. The board orders specify how proceeds will be distributed among taxing districts, county administrative costs and cleanup or reserve accounts.