Staff recommend batching review of tax‑deed parcels unsold at auction; 74 parcels cited

Kootenai County staff told commissioners Jan. 23 that about 74 tax‑deed parcels remain unsold at auction and asked whether the Board of County Commissioners prefers to review disposition recommendations in small batches.

"Right now we're looking at about 74 of them. Community Development has had 20 of them referred to us for research and disposition," said Deputy Director of Operations Davidson during the Community Development meeting.

Davidson said staff included a formal letter with recommended formats for presenting disposition recommendations to the board and that the department can provide additional data, such as the tax amount at the time the property reached the minimum sale price, if the board wants it. Because the number of parcels is large, staff asked whether the board would like the items brought forward in smaller batches — for example, five at a time — to make the process easier to track and manage.

Commissioners expressed support for batching. One commissioner said smaller groups of two or three parcels would be easier to track and review than receiving 20 or double‑digit lists at once.

Staff also described the current process for handling revenue from tax‑deed sales: checks are received by the board, which then coordinates with the treasurer's office. Davidson identified Terry Johnson as the treasurer's office contact to help coordinate sealed bids and notifications to prospective buyers for parcels cleared through Community Development review.

No formal action or vote was taken; the discussion was for guidance only.