A dozen properties on City of Medicine Hat’s initial tax auction list

Six detached homes and six residential trailers appear on an initial list of properties in Medicine Hat that could move to auction in March to recover at least three year’s worth of unpaid taxes.

The 12 residential and no commercial accounts is one fewer than in 2023 and about average over the past 10 years, according to data provided to the city’s corporate services committee on Feb. 11.

Since 2014, an average of 11 properties each year have been slated to go to auction, though only 19 of the 111 have ever reached that stage.

Of those, 12 saw owners retain their properties by paying down bills after the auction date. Five were sold to new owners after auction, including a number of condominium parking stalls, which have unique title.

The 2024 list was at committee to set minimum bids at fair market value as required by the Municipal Government Act. They will be received by council on Feb. 19.

If sold, proceeds are returned to former owner after tax, the five per cent processing fee and mortgage amounts are subtracted.

Typically owners or their mortgage holders step in before auction to resolve amounts in arrears. An updated list will appear in the March 9 edition of the News, but properties may be removed right up until auction at 9 a.m. on March 28.

Homes in Riverside, the River Flats, Crescent Heights, the Southwest Hill and Connaught appear on the 2024 list.

The initial list showed six and five properties in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The recent high was 20 in 2018, though only three advanced and one was sold after auction.