Redemption periods ends; tax sale set for July
Presque Isle County will have 51 parcels of property to unload in July, after the final redemption period for owners to pay their 1998 and/or 2000 taxes came to an end this week. A court hearing was conducted February 10, and the 21-day redemption period ended Monday.
The state and local units of government, including the county, will have first right of refusal, and then what is left will be sold at a public auction July 19. Just like last year, the property auction will include Cheboygan, Alcona, and Alpena Counties.
HOWEVER, THE auction will be conducted in Alpena this year and not in Rogers City, as was the case in 2002. Also, Mackinac County has expressed interest in joining the multi-county auction, according to PI County treasuer Pat Cornett.
Last year, 113 parcels of land were foreclosed on in Presque Isle County, by far the most of the four counties. As of Tuesday, all the redemption periods for the other counties had not passed, but Presque Isle has more than Alpena County again.
OF THE 51 parcels in Presque Isle County, all are vacant land. ?We did get payment from everybody that had a home, thank goodness,? said Cornett, ?so we don?t have to kick anybody out of their home.?
About 36 of the parcels are in the Presque Isle subdivision, while the others are scattered throughought the county. Cornett said the properties in the subdivision proved to be extremely popular at last year?s auction.
?We?re going to be running out of those pretty quick, but they are in very high demand,? said Cornett. ?That?s the thing people came to the sale for last year, so we?ll have some viable owners again.?
People started purchasing property in the Presque Isle subdivision when the lots were a hot ticket in the 1970s. Many drove up, or flew up to Presque Isle County, and bought up the land.
AFTER A NUMBER of years went by, some owners lost interest in the land, moved out of state, decided not pay taxes on property they weren?t using, or passed away. Cornett said the second year of handling the delinquent taxes, under the new system, has gone smoothly, but has come with the same amount of work. ?We?ve been through it once, we know what is going to happen, and when things have to be done. We?ve got a rou
?If they don?t want it, the local units have a choice if they want it,? said Cornett.
?THEN ONCE all the units, including the county, have had a chance to decide if they want the parcels, then they?ll be offered at a public auction.? At this point, nothing will be done with the properties until July; not even the former owners can come in and claim them. If someone came into the treasurer?s office with a blank check and wanted to purchase all 51 parcels, by state law, they can?t.
Three owners attended an administrative hearing, which was a week prior to the February 20 court hearing, to ask for an extension and were given one year. Part of the process of receiving an extension included filling out a form at which time they had to state the circumstances of why they were behind, and what justified the extension.