City to auction dozens of properties for unpaid taxes
Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
peterblack@qctonline.com
The clock is ticking down for property owners who have not paid their municipal taxes to save their property from going on the auction block.
Last week, the city published a list of several hundred properties whose taxes have been in arrears since Jan. 1. Under the Cities and Towns Act, the properties will be put up for sale to reclaim the unpaid amounts.
An auction is scheduled for the morning of Nov. 27 at the Andrée-P.-Boucher building on Route de l’Église. Interested purchasers must sign up in person on the day of the auction.
Although the list is a lengthy one, city spokesperson Wendy Whittom said many owners pay up before the deadline. “It is worth noting that the treasurer’s list is becoming much shorter as the people concerned pay the taxes due. So, in September, the list has several hundred properties for sale, and there will only be a few dozen left on the day of the sale.”
The properties listed are in all parts of the city and all property types, from apartment buildings to vacant land. There are even a few on Grande Allée.
The list of properties destined for auction from the 2023 tax year published last week does not contain the amount of tax owed. However, the list from the previous year does list the amounts, which range from several hundred thousand dollars to smaller amounts under $500.
The failure to pay the “welcome tax” can also result in a property being put up for sale by the city. The same goes for school taxes.
Whittom said the volume of properties risking default this year is about the same as previous years. She said properties not sold at auction remain the property of the owner and the unpaid taxes remain due.
Several on the 2023 list have arrears dating back two or three years.
Whittom said the city “may take other steps provided for in the Cities and Towns Act to force payment of unpaid taxes.”
Successful bidders for properties must prove they have paid the taxes owing plus other taxes pending and then wait a year for a deed of sale.