Lake officials plan to sue to recover more than $566,000 in delinquent property taxes and late penalties owed by a Gary School Board member.
Lake County Attorney John Dull said Monday the Lake County Board of Commissioners authorized litigation aimed at 96 parcels now under the name of Marion R. Williams, who has represented the Gary Community School Corp.'s 4th District since 2008.
The school district has recently been forced to close six schools because of declining enrollment and an inability to collect even half the property taxes on official books, contributing to the school district's $23.7 million budget deficit.
Dull said if the county wins a judgment against Williams, it can "garnish the money that he receives as a member of the Gary School Board as well as any other monies on file that you can discover," Dull stated.
The Board of Commissioners and the county treasurer share the responsibility of collecting overdue property taxes, usually by selling delinquent properties to the highest bidder at auctions three times a year.
Treasurer John Petalas said many of Williams' properties already are scheduled to go on the block at his upcoming tax sale later this summer, but he notes many of Gary's more than 10,000 abandoned properties rarely sell.
Petalas said he has directed his attorneys to pursue Williams and other delinquent taxpayers in court previously.
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