Every year, Shawano County forecloses on a handful of properties after their owners haven’t paid taxes and other fees for the previous three years.
This year, two properties are in the mix, one in Tigerton and one in Mattoon.
It appears as if the Mattoon property has been abandoned, but the Tigerton home is at the center of a debate between the person formerly listed as the owner and another who claims to have a land contract to buy the property.
In February, the Shawano County Executive Committee noted the county has possession of the Tigerton property; however, the parties involved requested additional time to pay the outstanding expenses. Supervisors agreed to give the parties until April 1 to pay the delinquent taxes, interest, penalties and any other fees in full.
“The executive committee, for the one in Tigerton, took action to allow the guy that was in default to make good on all fines and interest and back taxes and all that good stuff and then they could retain the property,” Steve Dreher, county building maintenance manger, told the Shawano County Public Property Committee on March 7.
County Board Chairman Tom Kautza said as long as the county gets its money, the parties involved in the land contract deal can argue between themselves in court.
“We told them that if either one wants to come in and pay us up in full … then they can keep fighting over it,” he said. “We don’t care who really legally owns it; they have to sort that out.”
No land contract is on file with the register of deeds office.
The foreclosed properties are referred to as “in rem,” Latin for “against a thing,” which refers to a court’s power to adjudicate matters directed against property rather than a person.
Jim Davel, county administrative coordinator, said there are usually a handful of these cases each year, and many of those are for abandoned homes.
He said the matters are handled by the county treasurer’s office and corporation counsel.
At the Jan. 17 executive committee meeting, Deb Wallace, county treasurer, and Larenda Maulson, corporation counsel, explained the process and state statutes for the in rem properties. The first year gives the resident extra time to pay. After the first year, a certificate gets issued and gives the resident two additional years to pay. The fourth year, letters are sent, and officials start the process of taking the property.
“The one in Mattoon, I have not heard anything from corp(oration) counsel or from the treasurer’s office,” Dreher told the public property committee earlier this month. “We didn’t get any of our letters back with return receipt required, so I have no idea if there’s somebody still living in there or not. I will shake that tree again with corp counsel and see how they want to move forward, if I get law enforcement to stop out there again and see if the house is empty.”
kpasson@newmedia-wi.com
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