There are 30 properties in town with delinquent taxes and Select Board members at Tuesday’s meeting were seeking answers from town tax title attorney David Condon.
Condon said that, with changes to the law and a proactive approach, the town can recover the tax funds, and he expressed confidence that most of these cases can be resolved within a year.
Condon advised the board to send letters as a first step before taking further action, which could lead to land court. Two of the cases are in land court right now.
Select Board Chairman John Hoagland was asking questions ranging from what action can be taken if the owner is deceased to whether the town can recover legal costs once cases are resolved.
“What can we do as a town that we are not doing?” Hoagland said. Hoagland cited one case of a property and owner with delinquent taxes dating back to 2008 and a $66,000 bill. In that case, the owners still live there. Referring to a spreadsheet of these properties, Hoagland said two homes owe $70,000, and the owners still live there.
Condon said the town can recover legal costs once the cases are resolved unless the town chooses to take control of the property. He also said that in cases of vacant lands, the town has the option of contacting the abutters to see if there is any interest.
He did not express any concern with how the town is handling these cases but advised writing letters first and once the property hits foreclosure, the town can take a more assertive approach.
He said creating a paper trail would carry merit with the court system and give the town more leverage to reclaim funds.
Condon said most of these cases do not wind up in land court. He said once the community notifies a delinquent taxpayer and then a second notice is delivered, people usually will sell the property, begin making payments, or turn to a relative for support.
Condon said the town legally has the right to post the names and addresses of the delinquent owners and properties and can even advertise in local newspapers. In fact, for commercial properties, it is a requirement.
At a busy meeting, the Select Board approved a parking plan for the Island Wharf area. After a committee formed and deliberations that began two years ago, the board decided that any boaters who park in public places overnight must obtain a permit,
The green conservation area by Island Wharf can be used during special events such as summer concerts at the bandstand.
Norm Hills, a former Select Board member, took issue with using open space land for parking. He said that use of open space is not within the spirit of open space guidelines.
Resident Barry Gaffey expressed reservations about parking permits on public land and how that could impact the business community. Select Board members said those are for overnight parking only and shouldn’t impact local businesses.
Select Board members were still deliberating at press time, and the docket included a request for more funding for the shared use bike path, appointments to town boards, and a review of the fall Town Meeting warrant.
Marion Select Board
By Jeffrey Wagner