COOPERSTOWN -- The list of tax-delinquent Otsego County properties that will be sold at auction next month has grown to nearly five dozen -- and the weak economy is an apparent factor in people being unable or unwilling to pay their debt, county Treasurer Dan Crowell said Monday.
The county's first privately run auction of real estate will be held at 11 a.m. Aug. 15 at the Holiday Inn on Route 23 in the town of Oneonta.
The properties that will be offered will be posted on the Internet in about one week, according to Crowell and Ed Haroff, owner of Haroff Auction and Realty Inc. of Schroon Lake, the auctioneer lined up by the county to run the sale.
Crowell said he has made a concerted effort to contact the owners of the delinquent properties to let them know they will lose their real estate unless they pay their tax bill to the county.
Today is the deadline for making those payments, he said. As of Monday, between 55 and 60 properties remained on the list of parcels slated to be auctioned.
"It's clear that the numbers are tied to the economy," said Crowell, noting that over the past decade the number of properties that went on the auction block hovered in the mid-30s.
He said the properties on the list consist of those whose school tax has been unpaid since 2009 and those whose property tax has been unpaid since 2010.
Some owners have simply abandoned them, and efforts to track them down have been unsuccessful, he said.
For those parcels that include occupied dwellings, he said he redoubled the effort to contact owners to explain the potential consequences of failing to pay the tax bill.
Haroff said he generally avoids speculating on how much money a batch of auctioned delinquent properties will yield for a county because he is frequently surprised by the sale prices.
"It all depends on what the interest is in a property," he said.
The buyers, he said, "are a mixture of people who are speculators, first-time home buyers and investors who are looking to invest and, hopefully, make some money."
The terms and conditions of the auctions are scheduled to be posted on Haroff's website -- www.haroff.com -- on Sunday.
Haroff, a retired state trooper, said he advises prospective buyers to view any properties they plan to bid on and talk to local assessors, code enforcement officers and neighbors to learn as much as they can about the parcel. The real estate is open for inspection the day before the auction.
Local News
Up to 60 properties may be auctioned
- Local News
-
-
Three men arrested on felony drug charges
Oneonta police arrested three men Tuesday night and charged them with possession of illegal drugs worth an estimated $8,000.
-
Klugo: Ex-Bresee's work 'on pace'
The shriek of a saw and other construction noises echoed through the former Bresee's building on Main Street on Tuesday morning.
-
State council honors Oneonta teacher
The excellence of an Oneonta High School English teacher was apparent to his colleagues -- now a state professional organization has recognized it.
-
Deputies: Man, 21, drowned in river
A 21-year-old Delhi man apparently drowned Tuesday afternoon in the West Branch Delaware River, according to a news release from the Delaware County Sheriff's Office.
-
Common Council hires Kendall as city clerk
The Oneonta Common Council hired Douglas Kendall as the next city clerk during a meeting at City Hall on Tuesday.
-
Police: Man drowned in Goodyear Lake
A local man apparently drowned after a canoe capsized during a storm on Goodyear Lake on Monday, Otsego County deputies said.
-
Two charged with armed robbery
Two Binghamton area residents have been arrested in connection with a robbery at a store in Afton on Thursday, state police at Binghamton said.
-
Officials announce Otego road project
A culvert replacement project will begin Monday on Flax Island Road, about 2.5 miles north of state Route 7 in Otego, officials said.
-
Schoharie agencies move back to offices
Schoharie County announced Monday that the Treasurer's Office, County Clerk's Office, Department of Motor Vehicle and the Real Property Office will be moving back to their original locations on the first floor of the County Office Building starting Wednesday.
-
Senate bill drops cuts to disability funding
The state Senate passed a bill Tuesday that will protect service providers for the developmentally disabled from state funding cuts, according to a media release from Sen. James Seward, R-Milford, a co-sponsor of the legislation.
-
Senate passes welfare-fraud bill
The state Senate passed legislation Tuesday that will cut down on welfare abuse, one of its sponsors said in a media release.
-
Council to weigh changes at parks
The Oneonta city parks master plan will be reviewed at 6 p.m. Tuesday before the regularly scheduled Common Council meeting.
-
Oneonta begins drainage project
The city of Oneonta will begin a drainage improvement project today, weather permitting, on Park and Herkimer streets, according to a media release.
-
Dispatchers: Storms closed multiple roads
No major road closures were reported Sunday night as a result of storms in recent days, dispatchers in Schoharie, Delaware, Otsego and Chenango counties said.
- Tuesday, June 18, 2013
-
21-year-old man drowns in West Branch Delaware River
A 21-year-old man was the victim of an apparent drowning this afternoon in the West Branch Delaware River, according to a news release from the Delaware County Sheriff's Office.
-
Most area schools beat N.Y. grad rate
-
SUNY chief honors 15 local educators
Fifteen faculty and staff at the area's three public colleges have gleaned 2012-13 Chancellor's Awards for Excellence.
-
Oneonta to name new superintendent
A new superintendent will be appointed at a special meeting of the Oneonta City School Board of Education.
-
Delaware deputies charge 7 in drug bust
Seven residents have been arrested on felony drug charges in a continuing fight against drug trafficking, Delaware County deputies said Monday.
-
Norwich gets $5M for water treatment
The city of Norwich will be receiving a $4,022,000 loan and $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Program to go toward building a water treatment plant to replace a century-old facility.
-
Three men arrested on felony drug charges
