Huntland plans collection push after $132,071.27 in delinquent property taxes identified

City Recorder Lee Anne Boggs told the Town of Huntland’s Board of Mayor and Aldermen on April 21 that the town can pursue delinquent property-tax collections going back 10 years and that current delinquencies total $132,071.27. About 60% of that balance is owed by a single entity, which Ms. Boggs said agreed in an April 17 meeting to pay all past-due amounts by Sept. 15, 2026.

Mayor Dolton Steele told the board he had been notified the town will receive a refund of $153,000+ from a recent meter project; the town previously received roughly $230,000 and expects a further payment of about $130,000. Steele said those funds will be deposited to the Water Fund when received and that the meter project was approximately 75% grant funded.

Ms. Boggs outlined the next steps for unpaid taxes: amounts for tax years 2024 and 2025 will be referred to state collections in September 2026; other unpaid accounts not collected by then will be submitted to Franklin County Chancery Court for lien or auction action, with the town requesting inclusion on the December 2026 docket. She said the town mailed letters to all delinquent taxpayers asking for payment by Sept. 15, 2026.

Alderman Ken Pendleton asked how far back the single large entity’s liability extended; Ms. Boggs replied that the entity owed taxes back to 2022 and that the town’s searchable collection window is 10 years. Ms. Boggs said one property has back taxes and no known descendants, and that Chancery Court is the appropriate remedy to pursue liens or sale when other collection steps fail.

The board scheduled a budget workshop for May 5 and discussed auditor procurement after noting the current auditors had missed state deadlines in recent years. The board did not take further action on tax referrals at the April 21 meeting.

The recorder’s figures and the mayor’s comments in the April 21 meeting form the basis of this report.