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Board accepts $100 bids on two county repository parcels despite objections from some supervisors
Summary
The Board voted 3–2 to accept $100 offers on two small parcels that had been in the county repository, prompting concerns from Supervisor Cindy Miller about low tax yields and whether adjacent property owners were contacted; the solicitor explained the county process and the sales were approved.
Lehigh Township supervisors voted June 10 to accept offers of $100 apiece for two small parcels that have sat in the county repository after failing to sell at sheriff and judicial sales.
Supervisor Cindy Miller said she reviewed tax records and found one parcel would generate about $14 in taxes and the other about $5.63 and questioned whether adjacent property owners had been offered the parcels before an out-of-area buyer submitted bids. Attorney David Backenstoe explained the county procedure: properties unsold at sheriff and judicial sales remain in a county repository until someone makes an offer, and the county typically does not market parcels or ask neighbors directly. He recommended accepting the offers to return the parcels to the tax rolls.
Jerry Pritchard moved to accept the bids and Janet Sheats seconded. The motion passed with Mike Jones, Janet Sheats and Jerry Pritchard voting yes and Cindy Miller and David Hess opposed. The Board did not add conditions to the sales; members discussed but did not pursue contacting neighbors as a precondition to acceptance.
Supervisors noted that while the parcels are small and generate minimal tax revenue, returning them to the rolls removes them from county inventory and clears encumbrances, allowing for potential future use or sale under local control.
