Pair of homes receive no bids at tax auction

A tax auction for two Medicine Hat homes proceeded on Tuesday with no one appearing at the public sale held at city hall, and therefore no qualified bids were received, administrators have told the News.

It’s not unusual for such auctions, held to clear up property tax accounts that are at least four years in arrears, to garner little attention.

Only one qualified bid has been made in the last 20 years, and most often the annual sale is cancelled when property owners or mortgage holders arrange late financing to clear up debts.

This year, based on that generally low level of public interest, administrators decided to hold the auction they assumed would draw no more than 10-people to the boardroom located just inside the doors of city hall, where public access is being limited as a public health measure.

The homes, located in the River Flats and on the Southeast Hill, were among 12 properties that appeared on an official list published last month.

Ten were removed, including a number of mobile homes and one commercial property. That hotel had a reserve bid set above $5 million, but local managers told the News in early March that new investors were lined up to clear up the tax debt.

As for the two homes that proceeded to sale, city administrators are considering next steps which could include assuming ownership of the properties or holding them over for another auction next year while current owners have the chance to clear up accounts.