Evening star., 1933-06-11
TAX-DE[|NQUENT
LAND SALE URGED
Prince Georges Assessment
Head to Lay Plan Before
County Commissioners.
BY STAFF Correspondent of The Star.

BY a Staff Correspondent of The Star.
UPPER MARLBORO, Md, June 10
Hoping to place thousands of parcels of
land purchased by Prince Georges
County at tax sales back on the assess
ment books, Thomas W. Baxter, super
visor of assessments, will lay a plan
for disposal of the property at private
sale before the county commissioners
when they meet Tuesday.
The plan would require the commits
sioners to set fiat price on each par
eel. regardless of the amount of taxes
due
Discussing his plan, Mr.. Baxter said:
Approximately 1000 pieces of prop
erty have been taken from our assess
ment books for non-payment of taxes.
The majority of these properties were
offered for sale at the final tax sale
of September 5, 1922. The balance were
taken off after being offered at final
sales in succeeding years. About 1000
lots in all have been taken from the
books in the 1000 sales"
Properties Are Listed.
Mr. Baxter is now compiling list
which describes the properties, gives
the names of the last known owner,
deed reference, and date of both first
and final tax SALE
Although the question of how much
will be asked for the various parcels in
the sale will be determined by the COM
missioners, Mr.. Baxter estimates the
prices will run from $40 to several hun
dred dollars
No property will be sold to original
owners, he says, for less than taxes due,
including penalties and costs
No taxes have been paid on some of
the properties for more than 20 years,
the supervisors records disclose. He
found some instances in which the orig
inal owner still lives on the premises
and one case in which the owner still
receives revenue from property, although
no taxes have been paid for more than
10 years. Another piece of property
was found on which no taxes had been
paid since 1922, although the original
owner still resides on it and recently
erected new tobacco barn.
The list being compiled by Mr. Bax-
ter includes some valuable property
which, when moderately priced by the
commissioners, is expected to prove at
tractive to investors. If and when sold
it will be entered on the assessment
books at a price conforming to other
assessments in the community.
Cites Laws Provisions.
Regarding the authority of the COM
mlSSionerS to dispose of tax property at
a private sale for fixed price, Mr. Bax-
ter declared the law provides that, if a
satisfactory bid is not received at the
final tax sale. the commissioners shall
withdraw the property from sale and
thereafter, at any time, without fur
ther notice, may in their discretion, sell
the land at private or public sale for
the highest amount they can obtain.
The problem of disposing Of the tax
sale property which has been off the
assessments books so long has been
lodged for years by county officials.
Eventually it must be faced and Mr..
Baxter believes now is the time to work
out a solution.
His plan, if successful, would prove
highly advantageous to the county
producing an immediate revenue. and
making additional revenue possible in
future years.
Certain technical phases of the pro-
posal, including the settlement of State
taxes and other special levies, are now
being worked out SO that a wholly legal.
complete and practical plan can be sub
mitted to the commissioners for their
approval.