Neighbors could be notified when tax auctions fail

Ulster County lawmakers tonight will consider legislation that would require notification to neighbors of properties that did not sell at tax auctions.

Currently, the only notifications are prior to auctions.

Under the legislation, properties that do not draw offers amounting to at least the amount of back taxes owed would be allowed to sell privately.

“Basically, what this would be is a reminder that this didn’t sell at auction, ‘are you interested?’” said county Budget Director Burt Gulnick.

Executing the notification by mail would cost about $300.

The proposal states: “Adjacent property owners to the properties without known environmental contamination ... may be interested in the ownership of the parcels and therefore may present another opportunity to get the parcels back on the tax rolls.”

Legislator James Maloney, D-town Ulster, who also is his town’s assessor, said there is municipal knowledge of properties that fail to sell at auctions, but neighbors have not been notified directly.

“They send out [notices] to every municipality, every supervisor and building department, and the supervisors are asked if the municipality has any interest in it,” he said. “So there’s plenty of buzz about all of these properties.”