Citations Affected: IC 6-1.1-24-5; IC 6-8.1-8-3.
Synopsis: Use of auctioneer for tax sales. Requires a licensed
auctioneer to conduct the sale of real property for delinquent property
taxes or under a tax warrant.
Effective: July 1, 2005.
January 20, 2005, read first time and referred to Committee on Governmental Affairs and
Interstate Cooperation.
A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning
taxation.
SECTION 1. IC 6-1.1-24-5 IS AMENDED TO READ AS
FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2005]: Sec. 5. (a) When a tract or
an item of real property is subject to sale under this chapter, it must be
sold in compliance with this section.
(b) The sale must:
(1) be held at the times and place stated in the notice of sale; and
(2) except as provided in section 5.5 of this chapter, not extend
beyond October 31 of the year of sale.
(c) A tract or an item of real property may not be sold under this
chapter to collect:
(1) delinquent personal property taxes; or
(2) taxes or special assessments which are chargeable to other real
property.
(d) A tract or an item of real property may not be sold under this
chapter if all the delinquent taxes, penalties, and special assessments
on the tract or an item of real property and the amount prescribed by
section 2(a)(3)(D) of this chapter, reflecting the costs incurred by the
county due to the sale, are paid before the time of sale.
(e) The county treasurer shall contract with an auctioneer licensed
under IC 25-6.1 to sell the tract or real property, subject to the right of
redemption, to the highest bidder at public auction. However, a tract or
an item of real property may not be sold for an amount which is less
than the sum of:
(1) the delinquent taxes and special assessments on each tract or
item of real property;
(2) the taxes and special assessments on each tract or item of real
property that are due and payable in the year of the sale,
regardless of whether the taxes and special assessments are
delinquent;
(3) all penalties which are due on the delinquencies;
(4) the amount prescribed by section 2(a)(3)(D) of this chapter,
reflecting the costs incurred by the county due to the sale;
(5) any unpaid costs which are due under section 2(b) of this
chapter from a prior tax sale; and
(6) other reasonable expenses of collection, including title search
expenses, uniform commercial code expenses, and reasonable
attorney's fees incurred by the date of the sale.
(f) For purposes of the sale, it is not necessary for the county
treasurer to first attempt to collect the real property taxes or special
assessments out of the personal property of the owner of the tract or
real property.
(g) The county auditor shall serve as the clerk of the sale.
(h) The expenses of conducting the sale by an auctioneer are
considered an actual cost of the sale incurred by the county that is
directly attributable to the tax sale under section 2(a)(3)(D) of this
chapter.
SECTION 2. IC 6-8.1-8-3 IS AMENDED TO READ AS
FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2005]: Sec. 3. (a) The county
sheriff of a county shall attempt to levy on and collect a judgment
arising from a tax warrant in that county for a period of one hundred
twenty (120) days from the date the judgment lien is entered, unless the
sheriff is relieved of that duty at an earlier time by the department. The
sheriff's authority to collect the warrant exists only while the sheriff
holds the tax warrant, and if the sheriff surrenders the warrant to the
department for any reason, the sheriff's authority to collect that tax
warrant ceases. During the period that the sheriff has the duty to collect
a tax warrant, the sheriff shall collect from the person owing the tax, an
amount equal to the amount of the judgment lien plus the accrued
interest to the date of the payment. Subject to subsection (b), the sheriff
shall make the collection by garnisheeing the person's wages and by
levying on and selling any interest in property or rights in any chose in
action that the person has in the county. The Indiana laws which
provide relief for debtors by exempting certain property from levy by
creditors do not apply to levy and sale proceedings for judgments
arising from tax warrants.
(b) A sheriff shall sell property to satisfy a tax warrant in a manner
that is reasonably likely to bring the highest net proceeds from the sale
after deducting the expenses of the offer to sell and sale. A sheriff:
(1) may engage an auctioneer; and
(2) if the property to be sold is real property, shall engage an
auctioneer;
to advertise a sale and to conduct a public auction, unless the person
being levied files an objection with the clerk of the circuit or superior
court having the tax warrant within five (5) days of the day that the
sheriff informs the person of the person's right to object. The
advertising conducted by the auctioneer is in addition to any other
notice required by law, and shall include a detailed description of the
property to be sold. When an auctioneer is engaged under this
subsection and the auctioneer files a verified claim with the clerk of the
circuit or superior court with whom the tax warrant is filed, the sheriff
may pay the reasonable fee and reasonable expenses of the auctioneer
from the gross proceeds of the sale before other expenses and the
judgment arising from the tax warrant are paid. As used in this section,
"auctioneer" means an auctioneer licensed under IC 25-6.1.
(c) The sheriff shall deposit all amounts that the sheriff collects
under this section, including partial payments, into a special trust
account for judgments collected that arose from tax warrants. On or
before the fifth day of each month, the sheriff shall disburse the money
in the tax warrant judgment lien trust account in the following order:
(1) The sheriff shall pay the department the part of the collections
that represents taxes, interest, and penalties.
(2) The sheriff shall pay the county treasurer and the clerk of the
circuit or superior court the part of the collections that represents
their assessed costs.
(3) Except as provided in subdivision (4), the sheriff shall keep
the part of the collections that represents the ten percent (10%)
collection fee added under section 2(b) of this chapter.
(4) If the sheriff has entered a salary contract under
IC 36-2-13-2.5, the sheriff shall deposit in the county general fund
the part of the collections that represents the ten percent (10%)
collection fee added under section 2(b) of this chapter.