Officials at the county tax assessor’s office are making preparations to collect on more than $266,000 in delinquent property taxes.

Janice Hart, county revenue commissioner, said the delinquent property tax list will print on April 16, and those who have not remitted their annual property taxes stand a chance of losing their property during the annual delinquent tax sale, which is traditionally held on the “courthouse steps.”

This year’s sale is set for May 18.

Hart said $266,612 of the more than $11.3 million billed in October remains uncollected.

“But it also means there is still a little bit of time for those property owners to come in and pay before the official delinquent list is printed,” Hart said.

“We always have some that never come in until the last moment and some of those (property owners) have several parcels, so it’s hard to tell what will go to the sale at this point. Hopefully, not many.”

Hart said the delinquent total also includes local properties in bankruptcy.

“And there are a lot of those – a lot (bankruptcies) that were filed this last year,” she said.

“There’s a separate process for us to determine what’s in bankruptcy, but we will collect (delinquent property taxes) when that property comes out of bankruptcy. It just won’t be this collection year.”

Property owners have up to three years to redeem their property once it is sold at sale, she said.

“And if someone purchases that property at sale and the previous owner elects to redeem their property, the new owner is refunded their full purchase price plus interest,” she said.

In 2009, 32 parcels were sold at the tax sale. This year’s sale will be held inside the Covington County Courthouse on May 18.

For property owners who would like to pay delinquent taxes before the May sale, call the revenue commissioner’s office at 334-428-2540.