Just days before they were scheduled for public auction, 41
properties with delinquent taxes were bought up by the City of Springfield.
Sangamon County assistant treasurer Mark Crawford says the
city exercised its right as a taxing district to purchase a long list of
properties in Springfield for which property taxes have not been paid to the
county. The properties, many of which are on the city’s east side and are
likely destined for demolition, were to be sold at a public auction on Aug. 11.
By acting before the sale, the city paid the minimum price
of $600 for each property, for a total of $24,600. That doesn’t include minor
fees associated with each sale, Crawford says. Had the city waited until the
auction, it would have had to bid for each house and probably would have had to
pay more per house. Crawford says the county originally asked the city to wait
until after the auction to purchase the properties that remained; that would
have meant more tax revenue for other taxing districts within the county, such
as schools, fire protection, parks and more.
City spokesman Ernie Slottag said the city intends to demolish the buildings on each property as part of an effort to eliminate dangerous eyesores. He says the city probably won’t actually take possession of the properties for 30 to 40 days, but some of the buildings purchased have already been demolished pursuant to a court order.
A property can wind up on the
public auction block if its property taxes are not paid ahead of the county’s
annual tax sale. At the tax sale, usually held in October, bidders may
“purchase” the delinquent taxes and put a lien on the property until the back
taxes are paid to the buyer with interest. After 30 months of unpaid property
taxes, the county buys the properties at the maximum 18 percent and sells them
at public auction. There were originally 364 properties for sale at this year’s
auction, but about 87 have been removed because their taxes were paid, Crawford
says. Only about 20 of the properties on the auction list were outside of
Springfield, he notes.
Last year’s auction brought in
about $60,000, Crawford says, adding that it was a “low year.” This year, he
expects proceeds to be higher.
“We initially had more structures
than usual this year,” Crawford says. “We’re hoping for a good turnout.”
The auction is to be held at 7 p.m.
on Aug. 11 at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield. Details can
be found at the Sangamon County Treasurer’s website: http://co.sangamon.il.us/Offices/treas/treasurer-Surplus.asp.
This article appears in Aug 5-11, 2010.
