by Mary Rupert
The Unified Government Commission, at a special meeting called for Tuesday, is scheduled to consider halting delinquent tax sales until the spring.
A special UG Commission meeting was called for 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26. According to the agenda, the Oct. 28 and Jan. 13 tax sales will be considered for postponement. They would be rescheduled for Thursday, April 28, under a proposal.
According to the proposed resolution, the UG has concerns regarding the potential displacement of persons who may lose their homes in the tax sales, and the proposed resolution would give them more time to find a resolution to paying the taxes.
Several UG commissioners have been working on the homeless situation and possible solutions.
The UG Administration and Human Services Committee on Monday night heard about plans to address homelessness and to help the needy in the community, including a plan to apply $293,000 in unused Emergency Services Grant funding for a temporary shelter for cold weather emergencies, open when the temperature dips below 28 degrees.
“I’m so grateful for the forward progressive thought, instead of scrambling for a shelter, we’re planning for a shelter,” Commissioner Melissa Bynum said at the Oct. 25 meeting.
The UG Administration and Human Services Committee also heard about a $3.2 million federal Housing and Urban Development grant to the UG for housing services and shelter for those experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable populations. The grant is through federal American Rescue Plan funding.
Also, the Administration and Human Services Committee on Monday night gave preliminary approval to an additional $44,285 to Mt. Carmel Redevelopment Corp. to be used for the Willa Gill Center, which provides food and services to the needy. The center has experienced increasing costs recently. The funding will go toward additional funds for personnel and facility equipment.
‘Furious’ about tax sale
The upcoming tax sale this week has been the topic of considerable controversy in the community.
“I am furious,” State Sen. David Haley, D-4th Dist., said last week about the upcoming tax sale.
“No other county in the state of Kansas has had a delinquent tax sale online,” Sen. Haley said. The tax sale had been scheduled online only, not on the courthouse steps, and not at Memorial Hall as in previous years, because of COVID.
Last week, he said the UG was stealing property from marginalized people to give to developers through the Land Bank. He said he doesn’t mind developers working on their projects, what he minds is a theft from marginalized families that worked hard to obtain that land and should have something for the later generations of their family. The families do not receive any money for the property they lose, he added, not even 25 percent of its value.
He believes the delinquent tax policies are discriminatory toward the poor and communities of color, as they have affected these groups more than other groups.
“We’ve identified 11 people living in the houses so far that will be put out of their homes,” Sen. Haley said last week. “It’s absolutely immoral.”
People may owe anywhere from hundreds of dollars up to $30,000 in delinquent taxes, he said.
Although the amounts they owe are often too large for other people to help them with, nevertheless an effort has been made in the past months to raise funds for people in danger of losing their homes at the tax sale, Sen. Haley said last week.
WyCo Mutual Aid and Groundwork Northeast Revitalization group have been “crowdfunding” for residents who are at risk of losing their homes in the tax sale, Sen. Haley said. For more information on how to contribute, see https://www.facebook.com/wycomutualaid.
Sen. Haley said the question has been posed to the Kansas attorney general and the Missouri attorney general as to whether this tax sale could be held online only or not. Kansas said yes and Missouri said no, he added.
The Kansas attorney general’s Oct. 4 opinion stated that foreclosure sales have to be public auctions under state law. However, according to the opinion, the “requirement for public auction is satisfied by use of an online auction site with members of the public being allowed an in-person place in the county to observe or bid. Kansas law does not specifically require a public auction be held solely in person.” (See the AG opinion at https://ag.ks.gov/docs/default-source/ag-opinions/2021/2021-003.pdf?sfvrsn=71e4a51a_6)
Sen. Haley argues that some of the people who are affected by the tax sale are not computer-savvy, even though the UG offers them the chance to use a computer at a public location.
Sen. Haley also said he is considering introducing legislation about requiring tax sales to be in person at the next legislative session.
“There’s a movement online to try to raise enough to pay off the tax bills of these 11 people who are losing their family home,” Sen. Haley said. He added he donated $500 to the effort.