Sale on Foreclosed Properties set for September 24; Prior Auctions Yielded Over $18 Million for County

ERIE COUNTY, NY— Today, Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz announced that Erie County will hold a Tax Foreclosure Auction on Wednesday, September 24, 2014 in the Mason O. Damon Auditorium in the Downtown Central Library. As it has in the three prior foreclosure sales conducted by the Poloncarz administration, the Erie County Department of Real Property Tax Services will work in conjunction with the Erie County Attorney’s Office to auction Erie County properties with tax delinquencies that have remained unpaid for a minimum of three years. The three prior foreclosure sales have yielded over $18 million in delinquent property taxes and have returned approximately 145 homes and businesses into productive, taxpaying properties.

“Erie County must stay active in the foreclosure process, both to work with residents and homeowners who may need help to stay in their house and to work with community  groups looking to solve the problem of abandoned, tax-delinquent properties that dot their neighborhoods,” said Poloncarz. “We will always work with homeowners to help them stay in their homes, but no one should ignore their tax obligations or feel that the rules do not apply to them. As with other auctions, this auction seeks to bring delinquent properties back to the tax rolls, settle accounts and ensure that these properties do not continue to be a drain on hard-working taxpayers and homeowners across the county.”

In January 2014, the Poloncarz administration filed a transcript of over 500 tax-delinquent properties across Erie County with the county legislature. The Department of Real Property Tax Services reports that as a result of this action, Erie County has collected over $7 million in delinquent property taxes and has negotiated numerous payment plans allowing tax-delinquent homeowners with legitimate reasons to save their properties, returning them to the tax rolls prior to being auctioned.

“Auctioning the property is always a last resort, and only happens when we have exhausted every other possible avenue for returning the property to the tax rolls,” said Joseph Maciejewski, Director of the Real Property Tax Services Department. “We can work with individuals facing long-term unemployment or serious health issues, but scofflaws or habitual filers for bankruptcy should be aware that their tax-delinquent properties will be sold. Their actions are not fair to the large number of residents who play by the rules and pay their taxes on time.”

The Foreclosure Auction will be held in the Mason O. Damon Auditorium in the Downtown Library, with doors opening at 8:30 AM and the auction commencing at 9:30 AM. A list of properties to be auctioned, terms of sale, and online registration for the event can be found at http://www2.erie.gov/ecrpts/ .