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Commission OKs no-bid flag on dozens of tax-sale parcels after land-bank's environmental review
Summary
The commission approved two no-bid resolutions for properties the Land Bank identified as posing environmental risk or financial liability, splitting an initial 42-parcel list into a 32-parcel and a 10-parcel set. Trustees and delinquent-tax counsel raised legal and practical objections; commissioners added language directing administrative outreach and publication of risk information.
The Shelby County Commission approved two resolutions asking the clerk not to place county bids on a group of tax-sale parcels the county's Land Bank identified as having environmental risk or potential financial liability. The original package of 42 parcels was bifurcated after the trustee's office disagreed about 10 specific lots; the commission approved the 32-parcel list and later approved the 10-parcel resolution with an amendment directing administration to publish or otherwise share risk information.
Land Bank environmental manager Chad Dugard described the concern in several cases: "The significant risk associated with these is the length of time that these businesses have been in operation," he said, pointing to longstanding uses such as dry cleaners, pesticide operations and gas stations. County Trustee Regina Newman argued the statute requires a determination that an environmental risk exists, not only a potential, and said many properties with active businesses typically cure delinquencies before tax sale. County Attorney Craig Barnes explained the legal balancing test and the limits of Rule 60 relief if the county became owner and later sought rescission.
Commissioners added a directive for administration to publish land-bank findings and to propose language for public notice of identified risks, acknowledging the trustee's operational role in the tax sale process. The two resolutions passed after amendments and clarifying language.
