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Item No. 12 <br />TO: Mayor & City Council <br />amazlm= <br />BACKGROUND: The City has contracted with Tracy Pounders and thd,:. <br />Law Firm to act and <br />s1_4w,w%)Loff.r Delinitpent Tax Attorn addressinp all matters involvi ith delin4,,ueuLX_rQaertri <br />taxes. In addition to his general delinquent tax collection duties, over the last several years Mr. Pounders <br />has been working through a lengthy list of abandoned parcels of land (accounts with combined <br />necessary legal steps to seize and sell these properties-, among other things, seizing and selling these <br />he propertiestobe returned to the gay.Lag, <br />tax roll and into the hands of families and businesses that will use and maintain them. This list has shrunk <br />drastically since Mr. Pounders first began working on them in 2013, although it remains an ongoing issue <br />as additional abandoned properties are identified each year. Additionally, according to Mr. Pounders, more <br />than half of these properties may also have existing nuisance abatement liens on them, as well as curren) <br />code enforcement violations. Therefore, it continues to be a priority that the City work closely with Mr. <br />Pounders so these abandoned properties can be identified, seized and sold. To this point, Mr. Pounders <br />regularly identifies a list of abandoned properties to seize and sell by tax warrant (or other legal process). <br />ryrW_r,_Pwt -.-r ants necessam to seizq <br />and sell these abandoned properties: <br />1, Identify abandoned properties in the delinquent tax roll. <br />2. Work with Code Enforcement to prioritize which the properties are to be seized and sold. <br />3. Work with potential buyers — properties with interested buyers are given priority. <br />4. Submit the list of properties to a professional title abstractor to provide the property's legal <br />description, current title history/condition and identify all necessary parties (no cost to the City of <br />Paris),- review the abstractor's data and make corrections/adjustments as needed <br />5. Gather supporting documents and evidence <br />6. Submit the list to Lamar CAD's Chief Appraiser (acting as the City of Paris's Tax Collector) for <br />comment and approval <br />T Draft and publish the Notice of Intent to Seize <br />& Mail or serve other required notices on other parties as required by statute <br />9. Submit the Application for Tax Warrant with the supporting affidavits and other evidence to the <br />Lamar County District Courts for approval <br />