Tax Lien Sale Coming Up

As promised, Tax Collector Maria Glavan will conduct a tax lien sale Dec. 2 to recoup delinquent taxes for the city.

Those who purchase the liens will pay the city the back taxes owed. The delinquent taxpayers will then owe the debt to the lienholder, who can charge up to 18 percent interest and can move to foreclose on the property if the debt remains unpaid.

This time around, the list of delinquent property owners ran to three pages. Taxes owed to the city and the Plainfield Municipal Utilities Authority were included, along with unpaid Special Improvement District assessments and other unspecified charges. Sometimes having one's name in the paper will spur owners to pay up back taxes before the sale.

These pages hold many untold stories. School board members, city employees, well-known business owners and institutions are on the list, mostly for small amounts. But an absentee landlord from Watchung and his partner owe more than $50,000 on their properties. A Hillsborough man who bought a highly visible office building several years ago owes more than $25,000. An official of the Special Improvement District owes more than $20,000, including a SID assessment. Whatever the private reasons for their failure to pay, the names are now there for all to see.

The first name on the list looked very familiar. A search revealed why. Click here for the story.

The list will be published again next Tuesday, if you want to take a look.

--Bernice Paglia