Evening star., 1935-08-18
TAX SALES GAINING
IN PRINCE GEORGES
Officials Worried as Largest
List in History Is
Advertised.
BY GEORGE PORTER,
Staff Corresuondent of The Star.

STAFF Correspondent of The Star.
UPPER MARLBORO. Md, August
l7-Concerned over the constant IN
crease in the volume of final tax
sales, Prince Georges County officials
TODAY were devising means OF making
more people pay their taxes.
r. Ernest Smith, county treasurer,
announced the annual final sale,
scheduled for September 16, will be
the largest in the county's history.
About 600 parcels of land, having
an estimated aSsessable value of $780,
600, are involved.
As Smith advertised the property
for sale, Thomas w. Baxter, super
visor of assessments. disclosed he is
preparing list of property owned by
the county. This will be ready for
submission to the county commits
sioners about August 27, he said.
Are Large Land Owners.
It will show that the commissioners
as officials are among the largest land
owners in the county having tax titles
to properties assessed at more than
S500,OO0.
Last year alone. property valued
at about 100000 was bought in by
the county at the final tax sale. The
SO per cent increase in this years
sale will. it is predicted, vest the
county with title to more than a mil
lion dollars worth of land and i'm
provements. This, as Treasurer Smith
points out. amounts to about one
siXtieth of the total assessed value of
Prince Georges.
When property is purchased by the
county it is taken off the assessment
books. The prospect of having the
county double its present holdings of
tax-delinquent property, coupled with
the recent removal of large blocks
of land from the assessment books
after purchase by the Federal Gov
ernment for its Beltsville and Buena
Vista experiment farms, is causing
county officials to regard the delin-
quent tax problem as one of the most
serious which they have had to face
in recent years.
May unset 6ainS.
It Is pointed out that such re-
movals may even Offset rather
large increase in the asSesSable basis
which might have been anticipated
because of the building boom.
The parcels of land involved ir
next months sale were originally pur-
chased by the county in March, 1888
The county took title to them ir
March of this year when the two
year redemption period expired. None
will be sold for less than taxes, in
terest, penalties and costs.
After the parcels are taken off the
books, however. they may be sold al
any price fixed by the discretion OF
the county commissioners. Last yeal
special prices were fixed on several
hundred parcels listed by Supervisor
Baxter, advertised and sold to the
public in a novel procedure.
Although criticized for putting the
county into the real estate business,
Baxter regarded the sale as success
He said it would not be repeated
however, unless better tax deeds can
be given by the commissioners.
Legislation Needed.
Both he and Smith believe that
only through legislation authorizing
the county to give a tax deed which
will be good in court, can the rising
tide of delinquencies be checked.
They say the tax sale procedure
followed by the town of Colmal
Manor is the best in the county. Il
follows closely the method used ir
foreclosing mortgage. The ordi'
nance authorizing such a procedure
drafted by former Town Solicitor Birc
H. Dolby. is modelled after the ole
Virginia land -grabbers act.
Last Winter Baxter recommended
that the Legislature authorize the
county commissioners to spend $4,000
for an attorney to study how tax de-
linquent problems have been met il
other States and draft a proper Law
for Prince Georges. The propose
was rejected, but the county COM
missioners say they now regard the
problem as so important they will
again seek legislative aid at the COM
ing special session of the Genera
Assembly.