PARIS — The Board of Selectmen voted Monday to re-examine a policy that allows the town to sell tax-acquired property without putting it to a bid.
The question was raised when resident Glenn Geyer asked to buy a 0.8-acre lot which had once been owned by a relative but foreclosed on by the town. Geyer offered to pay $2,000 for the property, which is adjacent to his own land and cannot currently be built upon. The land, located off Alpine Street, was appraised at $4,100.
Town Manager Amy Bernard said the former property owner had owed about $500 in taxes on the property. She recommended the board sell him the property for $2,100.
Bernard said she had contacted the Maine Municipal Association about selling tax-acquired property and was told they didn’t have to put it out to bid. Bernard said a precedent was set years ago to sell property back to family members without going to a bid after foreclosures.
Vice Chairman Robert Kirchherr said he was uncomfortable with selling the property without informing the public that the land was for sale and allowing people to bid on it. “I understand there’s a past practice, but I’m not comfortable with it,” Kirchherr said.
Selectman Robert Wessels said that while the town would be getting far more than the $500 owed, the process should be reviewed.
The board voted 5-0 to allow Geyer to purchase the lot, and in a separate motion, voted 5-0 to require putting property out to bid in future sales of tax-acquired property.
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