Lawrence County moves dozens of parcels to repository; upset tax sale set for Sept. 26

Lawrence County commissioners on Aug. 21 voted to move dozens of properties left unsold after the county's April tax sale into the county repository and approved a schedule for the next upset sale.

Tax Claim Director Brian Burrick told the board 63 parcels from the spring free-and-clear sale did not sell and were added to the county's repository list; many are vacant lots or trailers and, as county custodian, the county will hold them tax-exempt until sale or redemption. Burrick said the county will publish the upset (upset-price) sale for Friday, Sept. 26 at 10 a.m. in Courtroom 1; that sale's advertised upset price includes delinquent taxes, 2025 taxes, municipal liens, deed preparation and recording fees.

Why it matters: Removing unsold parcels from the tax roll clears title, returns some properties to county custody for possible resale, and affects how delinquent school taxes are handled. Burrick said proceeds from sales benefit the county and other taxing districts and noted the county is tracking a new $250 demolition/rehabilitation fee added under a recent county ordinance that took effect in July.

Most of the parcels added to the repository were city lots, Burrick said: 39 parcels from the City of New Castle and 24 from other municipalities (including Shenango, Union and Taylor townships). Of the properties placed in the repository, Burrick said 37 were vacant lots and 16 were trailers or nonresidential structures; nine city parcels had houses. He also said some properties that sold in other tax-sale categories produced proceeds that are being processed for distribution to lien holders and previous owners.

Commissioners and staff clarified that school district taxes are handled separately: for properties sold in April, the buyer will be responsible for 2025 school taxes once those tax bills are posted in mid-July, and starting in 2026 buyers will be responsible for school, municipal and county taxes.

Burrick reviewed the fall sale process and asked the board to approve resolutions to (a) remove unsold parcels from the county tax roll, (b) exonerate county and road taxes on certain low-proceeds sales, and (c) accept the list of properties added to the repository after the free-and-clear sale. Commissioners approved the resolutions.

The meeting also covered related county planning and grant items. Planning Director Amy McKinney and commissioners described three recent outside notices received by the planning office: (1) LSSE's review of Taylor Township's sewage treatment plant upgrade (the county planning office provided comments and the county has previously allocated ARPA funds toward the project), (2) a U.S. Army Corps environmental assessment for an area maintenance support activity and vehicle maintenance shop and training center proposed in North Beaver Township, and (3) a Frank B. Taylor Engineering notice about a sanitary sewer extension planning module for Route 18 in Mahoning and Wilmington townships. Commissioners said the county planning office has been participating on weekly project calls and that ARPA funds have been earmarked to support some local sewer projects (amounts were discussed in the meeting but not finalized).

Burrick told the board the tax-claim bureau is finishing work on proceeds from judicial sales and has placed advertising for the Sept. 26 upset sale in local papers. He also updated the board on staffing: a recently hired staff member and a part-time contracted former director are helping catch up after an absence in June.

Votes at a glance

The board recorded votes on a package of tax-claim and other routine county resolutions. All motions below reflect the board's recorded roll-call results ("motion carries" or similar language) in the Aug. 21 meeting transcript.

- Resolution 239: Approve $500 bid (Union Township parcel, North Round Street) — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 240: Approve bid by Shepherd's White Ministry / Rick Secora (New Castle, Fourth Ward, Pearson Street) — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 241: Approve bid by Elizabeth Spriggs (New Castle, Fifth Ward, Pollock Avenue) — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 242: Reject lower competing bid on same New Castle parcel (ID 05-037300) — approved (board voted to reject; motion carried). - Resolution 243: Domestic Relations maintenance agreement with Johnson Controls (fire-alarm work) not to exceed $657.73 for one year — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 244: Amendment to Domestic Relations agreement with Equifax (language in provision 7) to address state concerns about funding/source and termination — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 245: Remove unsold April-sale properties from the county tax roll (list of 39 New Castle parcels and 24 other municipal parcels) — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 246: Exonerate county and road taxes for one low-proceeds parcel sold at judicial sale — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 247: Exonerate county and road taxes for attached list of properties sold free-and-clear and yielding no proceeds (counts reviewed in meeting) — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 248: Appoint Rebecca Shafer as Section 504 officer for CDBG program compliance — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 249: Reappoint Amy McKinney as county fair-housing officer for CDBG matters — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 250: Agreement with Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (HPMS contract 25-02; Highway Performance Monitoring System) for two fiscal years (FY25-26 & FY26-27) — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 251: Agreement with Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (UPWP contract 25-01J; Unified Planning Work Program) for two fiscal years — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 252: Approve facade grant contract for McElwain Brothers Paint & Collision (Ellwood City facade program, up to $5,000) — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 253: Surplus vehicle sale (2014 Ford Police Interceptor) awarded to Jeff Smith, $1,680 — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 254: Surplus vehicle sale (2016 Ford Explorer) awarded to Ringwood Motors, $1,180 — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 255: Surplus vehicle sale (2016 Ford Explorer, second VIN) awarded to Ringwood Motors, $1,180 — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 256: Surplus vehicle sale (2015 Ford Police Interceptor) awarded to Jeff Smith, $1,680 — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 257: Reappoint Penny Kretzer to the Agricultural Land Preservation Board (term through 12/31/2028) — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 259: Budget amendment — $20,000 court-security grant recognized and appropriated to court maintenance and repairs — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 260: Budget amendment — recognize CDBG reimbursements (county admin $46,000; Ellwood City $18,000; Union Township $15,000; Shenango Township $19,000; total $98,000 shown in the agenda) — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 261: Budget amendment — jail IRP grant revenue $3,590 appropriated to jail IRP expense — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 262: Budget amendment — safety grant revenue $35,350 appropriated to maintenance and repairs — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 263: Transfer $1,500 from commissioners' contingency to land/building rental — approved (motion carried). - Resolution 264: Juvenile probation intra-departmental transfers and contingency reallocations (total $5,850) — approved (motion carried).

What county staff said: Brian Burrick emphasized the administrative complexity of tax-sale work and the importance of the office to reclaim properties and collect revenue for taxing districts; he said many of the newly reposited parcels sold for the $500 minimum and produced no proceeds to cover 2025 taxes. Amy McKinney said the planning office has been reviewing sewer project applications and coordinating with state and federal partners; she also described a regional planning reimbursement relationship under SPC contracts.

Context and next steps

Burrick said the upset sale advertisement has been placed in local papers and that letters are being mailed to previous owners and lien holders where proceeds exist; proceeds distributions will follow statutory timelines. Commissioners asked staff to continue outreach with municipal and school officials about the status of reposited parcels. The board also noted ongoing planning work and weekly project calls for sewer upgrades that have previously received ARPA earmarks; the exact ARPA funding amounts discussed in the meeting were not finalized in public remarks.

The board reconvenes Tuesday, Aug. 26 at 10 a.m. for its regular public meeting. The courthouse will be closed Monday, Sept. 1 for Labor Day.