124990092_web1_Letter-to-the-editor2

Your view: Stay-at-home order just making things worse

UK's Johnson lays out road map for easing virus lockdown

The scheduling of Luzerne County delinquent tax and mortgage foreclosure sales is up in the air because of the coronavirus, officials said during a virtual council Real Estate Committee meeting last week.
				Tax auctions are for properties with unpaid school, county and/or municipal real estate taxes dating back two or more years. These sales are handled by county tax-claim operator Elite Revenue Solutions LLC.
				Mortgage foreclosure auctions are commonly called sheriff sales because that county department oversees them.
				Tax sales
				The county&rsquo;s first tax sale of the year had been scheduled for April 23 but was postponed indefinitely due to the pandemic. Approximately 185 properties were eligible for that first-stage, or &ldquo;upset,&rdquo; sale because the owners had defaulted on payment plans that allowed their removal from a September 2019 auction.
				Now it is unclear if the Aug. 13 tax auction also must be postponed, Elite Revenue representatives Sean Shamany and Attorney Sam Falcone told the real estate committee.
				The August sale typically draws large crowds because it is a final-stage, free-and-clear sale in which liens and back taxes are no longer attached.
				&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know how we would accommodate 200 to 300 people. We&rsquo;re still waiting for guidance,&rdquo; Falcone said.
				Falcone said he also is &ldquo;getting concerned&rdquo; about the ability to fit in all required court hearings related to the auction due to the pandemic&rsquo;s impact on court scheduling.
				If the August free-and-clear is postponed, it likely would be combined with another smaller auction that had been scheduled for Nov. 5, said Falcone and Shamany.
				At this point, they do not expect cancellation of the largest, main first-stage auction on Sept. 24.
				County tax sales are held at the King&rsquo;s College auxiliary gym on North Main Street in Wilkes-Barre. Information on auction listings, bidding and payment of delinquent taxes is posted at <a href="http://www.luzernecountytaxclaim.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.luzernecountytaxclaim.com</a>.
				Mortgage foreclosures
				The sheriff&rsquo;s office typically holds mortgage foreclosure sales every two months, but the April 3 one was continued indefinitely by the courts due to the pandemic, said office Lieutenant Ryan Foy, who oversees the sales.
				Now the June 5 and Aug. 7 sales also have been halted by emergency court order, Foy told the committee.
				Foy said the &ldquo;likely scenario&rdquo; is that foreclosures from those three sales will be added to the next auction scheduled for Oct. 2 because it would be &ldquo;very difficult&rdquo; to try to meet all filing and notification requirements to hold a special sale before then.
				County Assistant Solicitor David Schwager said certain sheriff service and other notices must be completed within a time period before each sale.
				&ldquo;Given the fact that there&rsquo;s no real end in sight to our current situation, I think Oct. 2 may very well even be an optimistic target at this point as well,&rdquo; Schwager said during the meeting.
				Foy said a Supreme Court order suspended service on sheriff sales during the pandemic.
				To meet the Oct. 2 sale requirements, the sheriff&rsquo;s office must have capabilities to accept and process all paperwork and serve impacted parties by Sept. 2, Schwager said.
				The sheriff&rsquo;s office is posting updates on its section of the county website at <a href="https://www.luzernecounty.org/544/Sheriff-Sales" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.luzernecounty.org</a>.
				County real estate
				The status of the tax and foreclosure sales is of interest to council&rsquo;s Real Estate Committee because it is trying to schedule an auction of unused county property in a period when no other auctions are being held.
				Plans to auction approximately 56 of these mostly undeveloped county-owned properties were delayed last year because many are assessed at more than $10,000, which means a fair market value minimum bid must be determined, officials said.
				The committee plans to review appraisals with the assessor&rsquo;s office and present minimum bid recommendations to the full council for its consideration and approval.
				Committee Chairwoman LeeAnn McDermott said October may be the best option for a sale of county property because it would fall between the September and November tax auctions.
				Elite Revenue has offered to run the county property auction. Falcone said October would leave time for the county to establish minimum bids, advertise the auction and &ldquo;get people interested.&rdquo;
				County Chief Solicitor Romilda Crocamo said setting any sale dates is difficult with the uncertainty of the pandemic.
				&ldquo;Even if we reopen in the next two months, I&rsquo;m not sure we&rsquo;re going to reopen to the point that we can have mass gatherings,&rdquo; Crocamo said.

Luzerne County tax and mortgage foreclosure auction dates uncertain due to pandemic