Public Auction for Lien Sale Scheduled for October

if you have any unpaid municipal charges for 2011, including property taxes, water, sewer, electric or other utility bills, you only have until Oct. 3 at 10 a.m. to pay, or your property will be subject to a lien which will be sold at a public auction, according to Jefferson Township tax collector Patricia Dale.

“Once that happens, the purchaser has a lien on the property, and all liens in general have to be satisfied before the property can change hands,” Dale said.

The township holds a public auction for the delinquencies and any bidders who purchase the lien are entitled a percent that can range from 18 to zero.

“Purchasing liens on properties at auction is an investment for the buyers,” Dale explained. “The lienholders then have the right to pay the subsequent delinquent municipal charges, which gets combined with the lien that was purchased at the tax sale. After two years, the lienholder can start foreclosure proceedings.”

When the lienholder pays the subsequent taxes, he or she earns at 18 percent.

When the tax sale listing was released to the media as a legal notice, there were just over 160 properties listed. Hopefully that number will go down, Dale said.

“Last year we started with 140 on the list, and we went to sale with about 44,” Dale said. “This year people are paying slowly. It’s not going as quickly as I’d like.”

Those who are about to have their properties sold have not gone without warning, Dale said.

“Taxpayers who are delinquent receive notices every quarter, then a courtesy warning, then they get a tax sale notice, and another notice with the copy of the newspaper ad regarding the notice of lien sale.”

Any monies owed by a property owner may be paid by cash, money order, certified check or bank check up until 10 a.m. on Oct. 3.

To see if your name is on the list, click here.

Join the conversation. Follow Jefferson Patch on Facebook and Twitter.