A look behind the scenes in the lead up to a tax sale

The trend in Decatur over the last several years has been that about 95 to 97 percent of real property taxes are paid by the end of the 2nd installment grace period in early January. We collect the remaining 3 to 5 percent owed between then and early August.

Several steps occur between January and August to collect on the taxes that are owed for the prior tax year. Shortly after the grace period ends, my office sends out what we call “courtesy notices” to property owners with past due accounts. It’s considered a “courtesy” because sending these notices is not required by law. Of the 3 to 5 percent that is owed, about one-third of past due taxes are paid on the basis of these courtesy notices.

Around February we send an “Intent to FiFa,” to the property owner, which means that we intend to set a lien in 30 days if the taxes have not been paid by then. About another one-third of the past due accounts get paid after these “Intents” have been sent.

When we actually do set the liens and file them with the DeKalb County clerk of superior court, we send levy notices to the property owners. We call that “Stage One,” and accounts begin accumulating execution fees beyond the normal penalties and interest owed.

Later on in the spring, our delinquent collections partner, Government Tax Solutions, begins conducting title work on delinquent parcels. They determine who may have a security interest in the property apart from the owner, such as a mortgage company. Typically in June, “Stage Two” notices are sent to the property owners again and to those creditors.

In July, we advertise the remaining delinquent properties in the Champion as required by law. We also put up signs on the actual properties themselves. A final 10-day notice goes out to the property owner.

On the first Tuesday in August, we have a “tax sale.” We do this in City Hall—not on the courthouse steps like DeKalb County does. By this point, we normally have about 10 or fewer properties remaining, which are generally vacant properties and small tracts of land. The tax sale is an auction-style event at which the minimum bid to acquire a property is the amount of back taxes owed. The winning bidder has to pay off the back taxes in full with certified funds (cash or cashier’s check) by noon that day. The original owner of the property has a year to redeem the property (to buy it back) with a premium.

The time period between Stage One through the day of the tax sale itself is when Decatur’s Revenue Division collects the remaining one-third of the 3 to 5 percent of taxes that weren’t paid by the original deadline, bringing us up to a 99.9 percent collection rate on real estate property taxes for the prior year.

This year, we’re seeing the same basic pattern in delinquent volumes and the timing of payments that we saw in 2013 and 2012. This year’s tax sale is scheduled for Aug. 5 at 10:00 a.m.