WALKER-Cass County Board approved Dawn Schubel's repurchase of her tax forfeited property in Hiram Township Thursday, Dec. 6, but not without extensive discussion.
The township approved her proposed repurchase Nov. 13 with the stipulations that her back taxes and fees of $2,802.24 be paid, that the property on Birch Lake Lane be cleaned up and that the deed from the county to Schubel be exchanged simultaneously with a deed from Schubel to Taylor Investment Company of Breezy Point.
State statutes provide a county may grant a repurchase made within six months of forfeiture if taxes are brought up to date. Schubel met that time limit.
Commissioner Neal Gaalswyk questioned whether the county had any right to designate to whom a repurchaser re-sells their property.
"Maybe other investment companies should have bid on it?" Gaalswyk further questioned.
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In this case, Taylor Investment is the company which paid the back tax bill on behalf of Schubel and did the property cleanup.
If the simultaneous transaction were to take place as the township asked, Gaalswyk said there would be no time that the repurchaser, Schubel, would own the property being repurchased. This would be contrary to state law in his view.
In the end, the county board voted to approve the repurchase by Schubel, recognizing the taxes have been paid and property cleaned, but did not stipulate a requirement that she sell it to Taylor Investment Company.
