La Plata County Treasurer’s Office has 738 properties as of Thursday afternoon that may be up for bid at the upcoming tax lien sale next month. That’s more than a 100-property difference from last year when there were 619 delinquent properties reported.
However, the 738 figure is likely to decrease between now and the tax lien sale, which begins Nov. 13. Deputy Treasurer Ryan Hagin said property owners have until noon on Nov. 10 to pony up and prevent their taxes, interest and penalties from going out to bid.
By the time mid-November rolls around, Hagin said, he expects the number to be below 700.
“People come in every day and make payments,” he said.
Delinquencies have still gone up since 2014, a fact that contradicts economic indicators, La Plata County Treasurer Allison Morrissey said.
Most taxes listed apply to this year, though some go back as far as six years. The length of time a property owner spends on the listing depends on the type of property, Morrissey said.
“With real property, it’s rare to be listed that long,” she said. “Most real property will get picked up unless there’s something wrong with it, like if there are no access roads.”
The highest figure owed last year was $33,592 on a property in Fassbinder subdivision. Again this property, which belongs to Willis Investments of Durango LLC, tops the delinquent list in amount owed at $33,610. The least amount owed in 2014 was $55, while this year’s lowest figure was $12.
That $33,610 figure is an outlier, given the average amount owed based on the most recent data is $954, while the median is only $271.
“That tells me the vast majority are smaller values,” Hagin said.
Morrissey estimated some $700,000 in taxes remain outstanding in La Plata County. At last count, there were 132 delinquent properties listed under Linda Thompson. Most are listed around $75 each and near Colorado Highway 172 and County Road 513, according to the treasurer’s data. The undeveloped lots are on a subdivided property for Oxford subdivision, which is why they are listed individually rather than as a cumulative tax bill.
This year’s tax lien sale will be Nov. 13-16 via online auction. Investors can visit https://laplata.coloradotaxsale.com about participating. The most current list will be published Oct. 22 and Oct. 29 in The Durango Herald.
jpace@durangoherald.com
