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Land Bank sells five delinquent-tax parcels; identifies 19 others as 'no-bid' due to environmental/financial risk
Summary
The Land Bank presented sales of five county-owned delinquent-tax parcels totaling $20,780 and asked the commission to advise the Chancery Court not to bid on 19 other parcels that pose environmental or financial liabilities; commissioners asked about enforcement against 'bad actors' and verification processes.
Esther Sykeswood, Land Bank administrator, presented a resolution approving sales of five county-owned delinquent tax parcels for a collective total of $20,780 (delinquent taxes reported as $32,018). She noted one purchaser is out-of-town and that, overall, the sales will not fully cover delinquent taxes. "This resolution has a total sales of, dollars 20,780. The delinquent taxes were $32,018," she told the committee.
Commissioners pressed the Land Bank on how it monitors purchasers who buy multiple properties and then fail to maintain them. Administrator Sykeswood said offer-to-purchase contracts require buyers to certify they are current on taxes, not county employees, and not currently in code violation on their Shelby County properties at time of purchase; she acknowledged the Land Bank lacks staff capacity to continuously verify ongoing compliance and that the office could request software enhancements to provide a public report feature for complaints.
Separately, Environmental Regulatory Manager Chad Dugard presented a no-bid resolution identifying 19 parcels on the tax-sale preliminary list that pose environmental risk or financial liability; the committee approved advising the Chancery Court clerk not to bid on those parcels.
