Morrow County commissioners review disposition options for about 20 tax-foreclosed parcels

Morrow County commissioners spent a work-session meeting examining roughly 20 tax-foreclosed parcels that the county took into custody before 2023 and instructed staff to pursue a mix of transfers and sheriff-run auctions.

Staff framed the discussion as a legacy cleanup: "these are legacy properties that don't necessarily fall under the current or newest foreclosure rules regarding the Supreme Court case Tyler v. Hennepin," said Justin (staff member), noting a 2023 statutory cutoff that created two tiers of foreclosed parcels.

The commissioners and staff reviewed parcels across the county, including a 2-acre parcel in Juniper Canyon originally deeded to a local group called Juniper Hall that now sits inside county road right-of-way, several small ‘sliver’ parcels created by historic deed omissions, landlocked 40-acre tracts used for grazing near Hardman, and multiple small lots in Heppner, Ione and Lexington.

Staff recommended different treatments depending on parcel type and value. For small, unbuildable slivers and deed omissions, staff advised transferring the parcels to adjacent owners who have been using or maintaining the land. For several city-adjacent parcels — including a narrow Willow Creek strip — staff recommended contacting the City of Heppner to determine whether the city would accept the parcels for public use or infrastructure, such as a creek-side trail. For parcels with structures or clear market interest, staff recommended preparing sheriff-run auctions and, if unsold, entertaining sealed bids or negotiated offers.

Justin explained the threshold used for private sales: "for a private sale it's $15,000 or less on the assessor's tax role and being unbuildable is often the basis to treat it as a small sale," he said. Commissioners also discussed environmental and maintenance concerns for some parcels, such as an old gas-station site that might carry DEQ cleanup questions if redeveloped.

On logistics, staff said the county would engage the sheriff to run auctions, recover administrative and survey costs from proceeds, and then distribute any excess to taxing districts. Justin noted the county is watching other Oregon counties' auction platforms for efficiency and said staff would calculate starting bids and market values for items headed to auction.

Commissioners directed staff to: contact the cities of Heppner and Ione to confirm interest and intended public uses; reach out to neighboring landowners on small-value parcels to offer deed transfers; compile the ordered list of properties to be taken to sheriff-run auction; and prepare the legal orders needed to implement transfers and sales. There was no formal vote; commissioners agreed to proceed by consensus.

Next procedural steps are for staff to verify property values and legal access, confirm city intentions on parcels flagged for municipal use, prepare a recommended order listing the auction properties and begin coordination with the sheriff's office to schedule auctions.