Westmoreland tax delinquent property sale expected to be very different this year

Hundreds of tax delinquent properties could be auctioned off Monday as part of Westmoreland County’s annual sale, but this year’s event will look different in the age of the coronavirus pandemic.

The tax sale will be conducted at Science Innovation Center Theater in Science Hall on the Youngwood campus of Westmoreland County Community College, starting at 10 a.m., as about 600 properties will be put up for sale in small batches throughout the day to comply with social distancing and group gathering restrictions made necessary by the coronavirus pandemic.

A full list of properties to be sold can be found on the county’s website.

“We have a plan, but we won’t know exactly how many people will bid until the time comes,” said Deborah Chiado, director of the county’s tax bureau. “We feel confident it will run pretty smooth.”

In past years, the county conducted its annual sale at the courthouse, but because of current restrictions in place in response to the pandemic, officials looked to move the event to a location that can accommodate as many as 150 potential bidders, county staff and property owners who typically attend the auction.

Originally, the large WCCC theater was expected to allow for the sale to occur as it has in the past but with social distancing. When the state amended its coronavirus response this summer to restrict indoor gatherings to just 25 people, county officials scrambled to alter plans for the sale, which in past years operated out of a packed conference room at the courthouse.

The 2019 sale featured more than 600 properties on the auction block and 128 sold for a record $1.08 million, nearly doubling the most money previously earned at an annual sale.

Properties up for sale have been in arrears for two years. The starting price for the auction will be the amount of taxes owed plus any additional liens and fees required to record new deeds.

Officials said the unusual circumstances surrounding this year’s sale makes it hard to predict what will occur Monday.

“It’s going to be very different this year,” Chiado said.

Only a limited number of bidders will be allowed into the auditorium, and screens will show which properties on are set for sale at any given time. Two classrooms will be used as holding areas for bidders while others will be directed to remain in their cars parked near the theater while they wait for targeted properties to come up for sale.

Tim Andrews, the lawyer for the tax office, said it took months to plan for the revised sale. Bidders should expect a long day, he said.

“We’re planning on this taking a couple of hours longer,” Andrews said.

Earlier this week, the county conducted its first sheriff’s sale of foreclosed upon properties since the onset of the pandemic. The Sept. 8 event, the second held in 2020, was conducted at the courthouse and resulted in 30 sales. Sheriff’s sales are typically conducted monthly.

Sheriff James Albert said about 100 properties pulled last minute over legal challenges could be listed for auction during the next scheduled sale set for Oct. 5.