Property auction plan before Stanislaus supervisors Tuesday
Stanislaus County leaders will consider giving approval for a public auction in late March to sell tax-defaulted properties, including six parcels that were shunned by bidders at a sale in November.
Treasurer Tax-Collector Gordon Ford proposes to hold the auction March 25 for the 13 parcels, which include the former Indalex Inc. aluminum plant site in north Modesto. That property and five others on the list previously were offered but did not attract bids. The public sale allows some buyers to acquire parcels simply by paying the taxes owed.
A report says that $794,000 in taxes and penalties are long past due for the 13 parcels. Offering them for sale could prod the owners to pay the taxes before auction in order to retain ownership.
Ford wants to lower the minimum bids for the six parcels offered a second time. The county could absorb a $246,000 loss from selling the parcels for less than the taxes owed. The starting bid would be set at $396,000 for the Indalex property, which created headlines when scavengers dismantled the abandoned plant in 2010.
If the parcels are sold to new owners, they can start generating revenue again for the county.
Board of Supervisors Watch
The Board of Supervisors will meet at 9 a.m. Tuesday in the basement chamber of Tenth Street Place, at 1010 10th St., in downtown Modesto. The following items will be considered:
▪ A water services agreement between the county, Ceres and Monterey Park Tract Community Services District
▪ Progress report on the county employee mentor program for schoolchildren
▪ Approval of the closeout report for the Modesto Regional Fire Authority
This story was originally published January 11, 2015 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Property auction plan before Stanislaus supervisors Tuesday."