No properties were available for the annual City of Powell River property tax sale this year.
Speaking at the Tuesday, October 22, finance committee meeting, chief financial officer Adam Langenmaier said he was happy to give his report on the annual property tax sale because there is nothing to report.
He said finance department staff worked very hard to ensure everybody got their taxes paid before the city had to put houses up for auction for unpaid taxes.
“The tax sale is a very heavy hammer that the municipality has,” said Langenmaier. “99 per cent of the time, the people who are in a situation where their homes are going for tax sales, it is not because they are trying to avoid tax, it’s because something else has happened that has led them to a situation where they are.”
Langenmaier said one of the things that was interesting to see was a homeowner who was deferring property taxes and somehow missed the deadline and didn’t realize what was going on.
“They thought their property tax was being deferred, deferred, deferred,” said Langenmaier. “When we sent the letter outlining what was happening, they were very surprised. It was really nice to see that our staff was able to work with them and not just come from an arm of government saying, ‘oh, pay your taxes or we’re taking your house.’ It was a very nice approach to give them the help they needed and get them back on track.
“No houses were sold, which was wonderful.”
Finance committee chair George Doubt said it was good news and he wanted to thank Langenmaier and his staff for a successful tax sale report and not dealing with any tax sales.
Mayor Dave Formosa said he’d like to echo the chair, offering a big thanks to the finance department.
“They work very hard down there and they are always interacting with the public,” said Formosa. “They get some folks at the front desk who get a little bit upset and they have a very good way to explain. When you ask for information it comes back 99.99 per cent accurate and rapidly. We’ve just got a dedicated team down there. On behalf of our council and staff, we want to say thank you.”
According to a report from Langenmaier to the finance committee, the 2019 annual tax sale was cancelled due to no properties being available for sale. All taxes owed to the municipality were paid off prior to the annual tax sale deadline, he stated in the report.
“The tax sale is the last tool available to municipalities to collect outstanding property tax,” stated Langenmaier. “By actively engaging with property owners and encouraging them to pay their property’s taxes prior to their properties being sold at tax sale, it allows the city to avoid the less than desirable process of the tax sale.”
