Delinquent tax properties auctioned by city officials
NAR, old hospital property auctions delayed until Oct. 10
  
By Thomas Wilson
STAR STAFF
twilson@starhq.com

   The City of Elizabethton auctioned five city properties listed with delinquent property taxes - some with taxes due from the late 1990s on Thursday.
   Property owners still have one calendar year to pay their taxes, a penalty of 10 percent of the total city tax owed, and legal costs incurred by the city to reclaim their land.
   "The property owners have one year from today (Aug. 28) to reclaim their property," said city Finance Director Bradley Moffitt "To reclaim the property, they must pay the delinquent tax amount plus 10 percent of that amount, plus the court costs."
   The following properties having delinquent property taxes owed to the city were auctioned at the Carter County Courthouse on Thursday:
   * Sam Avery property, 639 S. Roan Street, 100, x 105, lot: Purchased for the minimum bid price of $2,674.08, which constituted combined delinquent county and city property taxes.
   * Herman Davenport property, 1637 Hillside Drive, two lots: Purchased by Bob Light at the minimum bid of $152.21 in city taxes
   * James N. Scott, Jr., property, 128 Railroad Street, a 75, x 150, lot: Purchased by Steve Hurd for the minimum bid price of $2,646.17. The amount represented combined city and county delinquent property taxes.
   The city purchased two properties with delinquent property taxes at the auction.
   The Bob Shelton property located at 150 East Elk Avenue with delinquent city taxes of $2,346.23 and the Emma M. Simmons property at 728 S. Watauga Avenue, with delinquent city taxes of $534.42 were both purchased for the delinquent amounts, said Moffitt.
   "If they don't pay that within one year of today, it becomes the property of the city to do with as the city sees fit," said Moffitt.
   The auction of two of the city's largest delinquent property tax sites were postponed until Oct. 10.
   The North American Corporation property and the old Carter County Memorial Hospital property on West G Street were postponed until October, according to Moffitt.
   Located at the far northwest quadrant of the North American Rayon campus, the NARC property has delinquent property taxes of more than $105,000, according to city tax records. The NAC owes delinquent property taxes of $54,291.70 to the city and $51,055.08 to the county, according to city tax records.
   A long-time source of contention with city officials, the old hospital building is listed as owned by the XL Corporation. The property has delinquent city and county property taxes of $68,274.68, according to city tax records.