The Omaha morning bee., 1924-09-14

paid any taxes for from three to 20
years.
They are privately-owned, revenue
producing properties.
The county and city treasurer Is
keeping stern account of the tax and
charging UP the IL per cent interest
per annum as provided by law.
And the day of reckoning is COM
Ing. The county board has instructed
CountyNAttorney Henry Beal to begin
foreclosure proceedings against the
1000 properties Immediately after the
regular annual tax sale, which begins
November and ends about a month
later.
1t will be the first scavanger tax
sale since 1908.
One piece of property located on
Capitol avenue, downtown, and be-
longing to large estate of q pioneer,
hasn't paid any tax for 20 years.
More than $4,000 in taxes and in
terest Is due the county on this piece
Rlone.
', Advertised Three Times.
The 1000 pieces Of property will be
Advertised three times and then each
piece will be sold to the highest bid
der.
The Advertisements will all appear
in The Omaha Bee. Some pieces will
S-bring only a fraction of the total
taxes due.
But, at any rate, the record will
be cleared up. the county and city
xxyi11 ~
cash and 1t is expected that the fu-
ture taxes will be paid annually.
Mortgages on the properties will be
wiped out, theoretically. at least.
But in fact such Is not the case"
kaid County Attorney Beal. IF, for
example. a man holds a $4,000 mort.
gage on a property worth $4,000 with
$500 taxes accumulated against it, We
would not foreclose at this sale, but
would let it run, expecting that the
mortgage holder will see to 1t that the
taxes are paid up in order to protect
his mortgage. AS a matter of fact,
than one in 100 OF the properties in
volved.
Sheriff's Deed i'm Two Years.
A person who buys in a property
at the scavenger tax sale will get
a sheriff's deed to 1t two years later,
provided the original owner does not
redeem 1t within that time:
There isn't a single argument
against this law" said County At
torney Beal. "It is the only way to
bring these delinquents to time and
make them bear their share of the
government expense"
How much the scavenger tax sale
will yield is problematical. 1t de-
pends on many things. such az the
state of the real estate market and
the condition of the money market.
1t should bring considerably more
than $4,000 900 into the governmental
Golfers, says county treasury officials.
Sam Greenleaf. chief clerk in the
treasurers office. says $1,ss6,Ss7 is
due in delinquent city and school
taxes from 1904 to 1928 and $579,308
unpaid for the period prior to 1904.
Up to 1915 the percentage Of city
and school taxes uncollected was
1.29. The uncollected taxes up to
August 1. 1924, were 2.36 per cent
OF the total levied.
At last years annual sale Of de-
linquent properties (no piece with
more than three years delinquent
taxes) about 100000 was realized.
Original Owners Redeem.
practically everything sold at that
sale has been redeemed by the original
C,f1
bought by spectators who only
sought to profit by the Is per cent
interest"
At this years regular tax sale, not
the scavenger sale, nearly 40, 900
pieces Of property will be offered.
These have delinquent taxes for all
the way from a few weeks to three
years.
In Nebraska no bills for taxes are
sent out. Some property owners COM
plain because of this fact. There
seems to be a reason for this.
"Such a proceeding would be un-
workable" said Deputy Treasurer
Fred J. Armburst. For the reason
that property IL constantly changing
hands and much property stands In
the name Of persons or concerns who
are not charged. with paying the
taxes, such as that being bought
through building and loan associa-
tions.
IF we started sending out bills O
large proportion Of them would not
reach the present owners Of the prop
erty. The former owners would pay
no attention to the bills and then
the present owners could complain
that they had received no bills and
therefore were not to blame for fail.
ure to pay taxes. All know that
taxes are due every year and they
must see to It that they are paid.
"a, Amended Tax Law.
The amended law under which the
scayenger tax sale is to be held was
passed by the 1919 legislature and is
ss follows:
655s, Section I'll. Lien by County
F'oreclosure-Counties shall have a
lien upon real estate within their
boundaries for. all taxes duo there
on to the state, county or any sub
division thereof. After any parcel
of real estate has been offered for
sale for taxes for three consecutive
years, and not sold for want Of bid
ders, the county commissioners
shall make and enter an order
directing the county attorney to
foreclose the lien for all taxes then
delinquent. in the same manner. ex-
cept as herein provided. and with
like effect as II such lien were a