Commissioners set $200 minimum for tax-certificate sale, weigh options to clear blight

The Randolph County Board of Commissioners on Wednesday voted to set a $200 minimum opening bid for a forthcoming certificate sale that offers another route to resolve properties that did not sell in the county's tax sale. The board also discussed ways to prioritize municipalities and neighbors in acquiring problem properties.

Chad Malecote of SRI Services told the commissioners “the certificate sale is the way the state has given you guys the option to sell off the properties that did not sell in the tax sale,” and explained three paths the county may take: the county can take possession of a parcel, transfer certificates to another public or nonprofit entity, or sell certificates to outside buyers. He emphasized the sale’s primary purpose is to return properties to the tax rolls rather than to generate revenue.

Why it matters: unsold tax-sale parcels are frequently vacant or blighted and cause public-safety and maintenance burdens for neighbors and local governments. Commissioners debated how to prevent speculative buyers or LLCs from buying certificates and reselling by land contract — a practice one commissioner cited as producing litigation in other counties.

How the process works: Malecote described buyer obligations if certificates are sold — a title search, certified-mail notices to interested parties and a court petition — and said certificate buyers receive a shortened redemption window (120 days) instead of the usual year. He added that certification or transfer steps must follow state statute order and that failures in process can prompt judicial rejection.

County options and safeguards: Commissioners discussed directing certificates to cities that have existing capacity to manage acquired properties and using a $10,000 county contribution to offset demolition costs when municipalities accept parcels for teardown and reuse. Winchester, Saratoga and Modoc were cited as towns that have accepted such parcels in prior years. Malecote also recommended public auctions and notifying adjacent property owners to increase local participation and curb out-of-area speculators.

Next steps and deadlines: SRI agreed to pull and email a parcel list — including parcel numbers, addresses and prior-owner data — and to provide form letters to facilitate adjacent-neighbor notification. Malecote told the board the county likely needs to decide which path to follow within approximately 30 days because the 120-day redemption period is already running for some parcels. The board approved the motion to keep the minimum at $200 by voice vote.

What the vote covered: the board’s action set the administrative minimum opening bid for the certificate-sale process; detailed sale dates, final parcel lists and minimums will be published by the auditor’s office before the sale.