Watertown Starts New Foreclosure Process for Delinquent Tax Properties
Watertown has begun an 18-month process involving 280 properties with a combined $459,688 in delinquent taxes.
The City of Watertown has begun a new process for 280 properties with a combined $459,688 in delinquent taxes. Property owners have 18 months from June 30 to pay the taxes before the city begins foreclosure proceedings.
The foreclosure process is expected to take about five to seven months once it starts, although the overall delinquent-tax process will take about two years. The properties will proceed through state Supreme Court, with attorney Mark Costello of Bond, Schoeneck & King handling cases involving owners who do not resolve their delinquent taxes.
The city is using foreclosure after a 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling barred municipalities from keeping revenue that exceeds the amount owed in delinquent property taxes. Watertown canceled its June 2024 tax auction and did not hold one last year. The city may recover attorney fees, title-search costs and other expenses, but it cannot profit from the properties.
This story was written from a community submission and reviewed by a ClickNNY editor before publication.