Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann presented a windfall to Hancock County officials at a press conference today: $192,154.54 in tax-forfeited property sales over the past seven months.
“Reinvesting in the community by purchasing tax-forfeited property is another step forward to rebuilding Hancock County after Hurricane Katrina,” Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann said. “This is why we have made it a priority to make it as easy as possible for people who are interested in buying property to view parcels and place a bid.”
The Public Lands Division held an online property auction in April-May 2017, which generated a majority of the sales. Including other sales since April outside of the property auction, the Secretary of State’s Office has restored more than 400 parcels to the tax rolls in Hancock County.
Money raised through the sales of tax-forfeited property in Hancock County will be distributed in varying amounts to the Hancock County Chancery Clerk, Sheriff, and Board of Supervisors; the cities of Bay St. Louis, Diamondhead, and Waveland; and the Bay St. Louis-Waveland and Hancock County school districts.
“Every dollar returned to local entities counts, particularly in tight budget times,” said Blaine Lafontaine, President of the Hancock County Board of Supervisors. “Just as important, though, is that these properties will hopefully be cared for and kept in productive use, which improves communities for our citizens.”
In recent years, successful tax-forfeited auctions in Greenville, Greenwood/Leflore County, Hinds County, Jackson/Hinds County, McComb, Meridian, Pearl River County, Rankin County, Waveland, Vicksburg, and Yazoo City have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Mississippi schools, cities, and counties.
For more information about parcels forfeited for nonpayment of ad valorem taxes, visithttp://www.sos.ms.gov/Public-Lands/Pages/Tax-Forfeited-Lands.aspx or call (601) 359-5156.
