Cook County to sell six tax forfeited parcels per new state law
A change in state law will require counties across Minnesota to sell some land previously acquired through tax forfeiture. In Cook County, six parcels will be put up for public auction in the next six months.
The amended law is the result of several legal challenges, including a class action suit, brought against the state’s previous policies surrounding tax forfeited property. Under the old law, the state kept any additional proceeds from the sale of a tax forfeited parcel above what the previous owner owed in delinquent taxes and fees. The legal challenges to the law led to a US Supreme Court ruling in 2023 that the law was unconstitutional.
The result of that ruling and the class action case was a change in the law this year. Cook County Assessor Bob Thompson told WTIP that the primary way that the law change might impact county residents is the way the county would be required to communicate with a delinquent tax payer before taking possession of a tax forfeited parcel, and the timeline for when the county would be required to sell that newly forfeited property. It also established a state fund through which a forfeiter could claim excess funds that a sale brings in. In the meantime, the law will impact the current inventory of tax forfeited properties held by the county.
Thompson explained that there are six parcels that the county is statutorily obligated to sell under the new state laws. He said that these six parcels were all forfeited during a timeframe that the courts identified as part of the case settlements. Thompson said that the county currently holds about 80 properties through tax forfeiture. He added that some are used by the county- the airport and highway department are both located on tax forfeited properties, as well as a portion of the overflow parking lot for the courthouse. Thompson said that there are no plans to sell the land that is currently in use. As for the remainder of the inventory, he said, “The county will be setting forward priorities, and we’ve had a couple of discussions on how the county wants to proceed with those properties that we haven’t utilized and maybe are being underutilized right now, and getting those back into the tax rolls one way or another, if they cannot be put to a use that benefits serves the public interest.”
The six properties that the county will be required to sell will be available for purchase through public auction. Thompson said that the sale will be announced through county press releases and social media, and that he guesses it will happen within the next six months.
WTIP’s Kirsten Wisniewski spoke to Cook County Assessor Bob Thompson about the changes in the laws, and how it will impact Cook County. Audio of that interview is below.
Kirsten Wisniewski September 12, 2024
