From the Richmond Palladium-Item:
The Wayne County Board of Commissioners took an unusual step Thursday to collect unpaid property taxes for the former Reid Hospital site.
The commissioners and Wayne County Treasurer Cathy Williams filed a civil suit against Spring Grove Development LLC, which owns the 60-plus-acre property.
Spring Grove Development hasn’t paid property taxes since 2010 and owes Wayne County $350,618.22 for the past three years’ taxes and penalties, Williams said Thursday.
Until this point, the abandoned property was a private transaction between buyers and sellers, Commission president Denny Burns said.
“This is the first time the government has been involved with this property,” Burns said. “We’re going to use every option available to us to collect the taxes.”
The delinquent taxes affect all the taxing units, including the community of Spring Grove, libraries, schools, street, fire, and police departments, Burns said.
“Our taxpayers will have to pay more in order to make up for what those absent owners will not pay and that’s not fair,” Burns said. “Commissioners do not want the past-due taxes to become just a lien against an abandoned property. We want them to do the responsible thing and either fix up or take down the buildings as they promised to do. We are asking a judge to award the amount owed plus interest and attorney fees.”
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http://www.pal-item.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013312190018
