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Commissioners table decades-old personal-property write-offs, ask staff for corrected interest calculations
Summary
Facing inconsistent reports and missing documentation for decades of personal-property accounts, the Seward County commission tabled resolutions to write off unpaid accounts from roughly 1984–2006 and directed staff to produce detailed exhibits with interest through May 31 and legal guidance on selective collection.
The Seward County Board of Commissioners put on hold two draft resolutions that would write off long-uncollected personal-property tax amounts stretching from the 1980s through 2006 after staff identified data inconsistencies and gaps in supporting documentation.
Treasurer staff presented exhibits showing large totals of long-delinquent accounts but acknowledged some exported reports mixed real-estate and personal-property rows and that several years lacked interest calculations. The treasurer asked the commission to direct the county's vendor (CIC) to produce a consistent, detailed pull with interest calculated to May 31 so the board can confirm totals before final action.
Commissioners and counsel raised legal and practical concerns. Forrest, the commission's attorney on the line, cautioned that selective extraction of accounts for collection could create legal exposure and that the county may lack documentation needed to prove older debts in court. The commission also noted many accounts are decades old and that collections firms previously returned some files as uncollectible or dismissed in court for lack of proof.
One commissioner summarized the practical reality: "Realistically, we are going to have to write these off," while stressing the need to ensure the dollar amounts and interest are calculated correctly before any formal write-off. The board asked staff to prepare two resolutions (one codifying an earlier quasi-action and one for the later years), to confirm interest calculations through May 31, and to obtain Russell (previously consulted counsel) or other legal guidance on whether individual accounts can be pulled for collection without exposing the county to claims of selective treatment.
Next steps: staff will ask CIC/software to generate a corrected, dated report with interest to May 31 for 1984–2006, supply the detailed exhibits for review, and return the issue to the commission at a future meeting for formal action.
