Commissioners ask staff for comprehensive approach to vacant and abandoned properties

At the April 2025 meeting, several commissioners discussed long-standing issues with vacant and abandoned properties countywide and urged the tax office and county staff to compile a comprehensive list and pursue options to return properties to productive use.

Commissioner O'Neil (opening the discussion) said the county has properties with unpaid taxes, unclear or unknown ownership, and properties that are an eyesore or public nuisance. County staff explained the tax office and county attorney use foreclosure and auction processes, but acknowledged some parcels are costly to clear title for and may have many heirs or unclear ownership. One county attorney representative told commissioners that, in some cases, “it costs more to figure out who owns it than the property is worth.”

Commissioners said they would prefer a more aggressive approach to addressing obvious abandoned county parcels and other properties that adversely affect neighborhoods. Suggestions included creating two lists—(1) properties that have been foreclosed and are available for sale and (2) properties with unclear ownership that require title work or other remedies—and exploring best practices from other counties for notification, liens, and sale procedures. Commissioners also flagged the complicating factor of potential environmental or underground storage-tank liabilities on burned commercial properties.

County staff agreed to work with the tax office and county attorney to produce a comprehensive inventory and to recommend options for disposition, including auction procedures, public notices, and possible remediation for county-owned parcels.

No formal vote was taken; the discussion resulted in direction to staff to return recommendations and an inventory to the board.