The county’s lack of transparency and inclusiveness in forming the Penny Tax Promotion team raises a caution flag regarding the disposal of the county’s surplus properties.
On the surface, addressing the county’s eyesores and idle properties is a huge step forward. However, ensuring full transparency in all of the county’s surplus property sales to produce maximized financial returns must be a top priority. This will require a combination of robust public notification, competitive bidding platforms, and strict ethical guidelines. But so far, the county has not even released readable list to the public of the 27 properties the county is looking at demolishing, selling, or refurbishing.
Best practices would involve transitioning to online auctions, implementing standardized inventory systems, and ensuring proper valuation to avoid the appearance of insider deals, including those involving county employees and elected officials.
Randy Bright
Ridgeway