Delinquent tax land sale will go online next year

By Rupert Howell
Panola County’s auction for delinquent property taxes, or land sale for taxes, will go online this year following a request by the county’s Tax Assessor/Collector David Garner at the Monday, May 8 Board of Supervisors’ meeting.
Currently the auction and bidding, which takes place in a full courtroom in Batesville, has the collector and tax office deputies at full throttle for days prior and afterward as well as the Chancery Clerk’s office who is heavily involved in the land transfers.
Garner told supervisors, “It’s what I’d like to do—get rid of this.”
County supervisors and the Chancery Clerk have had lawsuits filed against them from a couple of successful bidders who felt they bought a “pig in a poke” after determining the property was not worth the amount paid for the tax lien.
GovEase is a software company that facilitates the sale at the local level that would increase participation as 90 percent of liens are purchased by out-of-state agencies according to that company.
Ryan Mathews with that company estimated 20 or 30 counties in Mississippi will use their service this year.
Lee and Madison Counties were the only two using GovEase in the most recent tax sale. Garner said he observed Lee County who went to the online sale and said “They  were happy with it.”
As reported in the Madison County Journal, GovEase CEO Trey Pittman told Madison County Supervisors last year, “Across the entire state of Mississippi, there are approximately $150 million in tax liens sold every year. All of the counties held these auctions at the same time, and you physically had to show up at the office to bid on it.”
The new process should not increase residential taxes but should increase competition among property tax bidders, allowing more competitive bidding.
Revenue from GovEase would be derived from a percentage of overpayment, the amount paid for a delinquent tax bill over the amount owed.