Senate committee rejects a conveyance in lieu of taxes for roadway parcels after documentation concerns

Saint Croix Renaissance Group asked the committee to approve a transfer of several roadway plots to the government in satisfaction of unpaid real‑property taxes for tax years 2016–2019. The Lieutenant Governor’s tax assessor submitted a valuation of the combined roadway plots at $535,400 and reported unpaid taxes of $531,608.06 (including penalties and interest). The Office of the Lieutenant Governor and the tax assessor recommended approval under title 33 §24‑94a because the assessed value exceeded the tax liability.

Department of Sports, Parks & Recreation confirmed it would accept the parcels for a proposed Houston Cornelius bike/coasting park and discussed public‑use plans in testimony. SCRG representatives said the transfer would also satisfy contractual obligations under an Economic Development Commission (EDC) agreement that required in‑kind land contributions.

Committee counsel and several senators raised a procedural issue: the SCRG submission and supporting documents did not clearly state which specific parcels were being conveyed in lieu of taxes and whether the same parcels were intended to meet separate EDC obligations. Because the statutory swap under §24‑94a requires explicit property identification and because documentation was ambiguous, the committee approved a motion to disapprove the conveyance and instructed the Lieutenant Governor’s office to return with clear documentation and a parcel‑by‑parcel submission. The roll call recorded 4 yeas with members present voting to disapprove and several senators absent.