Two-county tax sale proposed

By LOHR McKINSTRY
Staff Writer

October 06, 2008 04:00 am

— ELIZABETHTOWN -- It turns out Essex County's sale of properties seized for back taxes won't be just for Essex County.
The Essex County Board of Supervisors has given permission for Hamilton County to be added to the tax auction slated for Thursday, Nov. 13.
Essex County Treasurer Michael Diskin said Hamilton County wants to put 12 parcels in the tax sale.
"The judge has not signed the foreclosure (for Hamilton County), but they're expecting it any day."
He said Hamilton County officials want Essex County to hold off on advertising the sale until their parcels can be added.
"I thought it (a bi-county sale) would be in the spirit of cooperation. They'd do it at the end of our auction."
Essex County has a pre-existing contract with auctioneer Edward Haroff of Schroon Lake for its tax auction, which has about 240 properties listed.
"I certainly would welcome having those additional 12 properties put in," Diskin said.
He said the Hamilton County parcels wouldn't be intermixed with Essex County's but would be sold separately when the Essex County portion of the auction was over.
Diskin said Hamilton County will have someone present to supervise the sale of its properties. The sale starts at 10 a.m. at the Ticonderoga Best Western Inn and Suites.
Essex County has already sold one of the properties before the official sale: a house on Mutton Hollow Road in Moriah. The place went to a man whose aunt and uncle owned the property.
Diskin said the buyer will pay the back taxes, plus interest and penalties due on the home.
More such pre-auction sales are possible, Diskin said.
"If anyone has a property where there's a family member or a valid reason, we really need to get them done."
Supervisor Thomas Scozzafava (R-Moriah) said he wants to evict people from some rundown houses in his town that were taken for taxes.
"I have an issue on a property in Witherbee. There's an absentee landlord. They haven't paid water and sewer for years. What does it take to vacate that property?"
Manning said he just needs the information from Scozzafava and he'll start an eviction process.
"If there are people living there, we can begin proceedings."
lmckinstry@pressrepublican.com