The procedure for buying tax-delinquent property owned by the parish was roundly questioned by a Lawtell resident at a St. Landry Parish Council meeting.
Jennifer Cravins, who has been at previous meetings seeking to buy adjudicated property near her residence, said, “I noticed on this particular agenda there are people again with adjudicated sales. I have been trying for over a year. No one can tell me the process.”
Adjudicated property is owned by the parish after a failure to pay taxes.
St. Landry Parish legal counsel Garrett Duplechain said at Wednesday’s meeting there are about 1,000 tax-delinquent properties owned by the parish.
There were three properties to be sold on the Council’s Administrative-Finance Committee’s agenda. Two were to be sold through Civic Source and the third through the parish government. Civic Source contracts with the parish government and municipalities to sell property in an online auction.
Cravins said, “I feel that I should have been on the agenda ... like the other people and I wanted the same process that they had.”
She added, “No one can tell me how these people got on the agenda to purchase property. I don’t think I should have to wait for the process that they’re trying to do because these people didn’t have to. I’ve been coming here. You all saw my face here before. All I’m asking for is how do they get on the agenda? Who fills the application out for them? Who sets the payment amount? Nobody can tell me.”
Cravins also added, “I’m willing to pay all of the back taxes and pay forward, but nobody can tell me how I can get on this agenda.”
Parish President Jessie Bellard, in his first Parish Council meeting since winning election on March 20, said he planned to ask the Council to table one sale going through the parish. Bellard said he wants to make sure the sale was properly done. Two other sales were going through Civic Source and they were approved by the Council for presentation at the full Council meeting on April 21.
But Cravins noted there was sale approved last month by the Council that did not go through Civic Source.
“I just want to be put on the agenda like them and let the Council vote to see if I can be approved like he is,” Cravins said.
Duplechain said, “I do think it is wise on Mr. Bellard’s part to maybe step back and take another look to make sure all of the requirements were done on Mr. Buller’s property.”
The agenda item was for non-warranty cash sale of adjudicated property to David Buller for $1,000.
The non-warranty sale means the buyer may to clear the title.
Questioned by Cravins, Duplechain said he did not know how Buller’s bid ended up on the agenda.
“You are the attorney. You look at the paperwork,” Cravins said about Duplechain saying he did not know the process.
“I did not set up the process,” Duplechain said.
“But what is the process?” Cravins replied.
Parish Council Chairman Dexter Brown said, “I want to apologize for you not being able to purchase that land because I know you have been here since last year and you’ve been very very patient with us.
Brown directed Duple chain to assist Cravins in her effort to buy adjudicated property.
“If she gets upset and says, ‘You know what I’m going to do? I’m going to just get me an attorney and fight fire with fire.’ You know that means? That means if we don’t have somebody in that district attorney’s office that can handle these adjudicated property matters you are going to have to seek outside legal counsel. If that happens, we are going to spend taxpayer dollars on a matter that could have been solved a long time ago,” Brown said.
Bellard said he is working on setting up a parish process for adjudicated property sales that will require a minimum deposit and advertisement for bids.
“I think it is going to be cheaper with us,” he said in comparing the cost to use Civic Source that can be about $5,000.
Bellard also said he would bring all sales to the Council for their approval.
Council member Jerry Red won the committee’s approval to have all adjudicated property sales go through the parish process rather than Civic Source after six months.
The proposal must go before the full Council.
Eunice Mayor Scott Fontenot said there are about 60 adjudicated properties in Eunice.
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