City and county rake in cash in property auction

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July 30, 2010

By JOE LoTEMPLIO Staff Writer The Press Republican Fri Jul 30, 2010, 03:28 AM EDT

PLATTSBURGH — A recent auction of delinquent-tax properties netted big paydays for the City of Plattsburgh and Clinton County.

A total of 58 properties — 51 county and seven city —were sold last week at a public auction attended by more than 100 bidders.

The county properties represented $241,212 in back taxes and the city properties $137,182 in delinquent taxes.

The properties were seized after the owners went three years without paying their taxes.

All parcels were sold in just under two hours by auctioneer Haroff Auction and Realty Inc.

The county took in $683,600 in sales, for a profit of $442,388.

"We did really well this year, and that's great for the county," County Treasurer Joseph Giroux said.

"We usually take in $225,000 to $250,000."

Most of the county parcels sold were vacant lots or empty fields, Giroux said, but some were actual homes.

In the city, the seven properties sold for $271,000 total, which was $133,817 more than what was owed in taxes.

One of the properties sold was 1 South Acres Drive, which was in the news earlier this year when the city stepped in to remove numerous dead animals.

The city paid $14,500 to clean that property up, which was covered by the tax-sale proceeds. The house sold for $41,000.

Mayor Donald Kasprzak said that while the city does not like to take people's property, the auction proceeds will be a benefit to the city's bottom line.

"In these difficult times, the city has a responsibility to pursue not only cost-saving measures, but revenue-generating opportunities as well.

"We followed the process, and it is the responsible thing to do for all taxpayers."