Scozzafava said he has a problem in Moriah with squatters living in buildings the county is taking for the sale. The buildings had been owned by absentee landlords who never paid the taxes, and the tenants stopped paying rent.

"I want to get those people out of there ASAP," Scozzafava said. "Can we get the sheriff in there and get those people out of there?"

Manning said the law requires a three-day notice to pay the rent, then the owner can petition the court for eviction. If they don't leave after that, the court can issue an order, he said.

"The sheriff can forcibly remove them. It will take about three weeks" after the county takes the properties.

Scozzafava said the absentee landlords didn't care about the condition of the buildings, and people are living rent-free but in squalid conditions.

lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com