ST. THOMAS — On the heels of postponing the property auction on St. Croix, Lieutenant Governor Osbert Potter on Friday revealed that he’d done the same for the St. Thomas-St. John district, whose event was scheduled for July 6.
“It is only fair to extend the same courtesy to St. Thomas [and] St. John taxpayers because we have seen similar results of property owners making overwhelming requests to cure their delinquencies in St. Thomas/St. John,” Mr. Potter said. The St. Croix property auction was postponed on Wednesday; it was set to take place on June 29.
Speaking of St. Croix, the Tax Collector had received actual payments, or commitments to pay, of over three-quarters of a million dollars in outstanding auction debt as of Wednesday, the lieutenant governor revealed when announcing the St. Croix postponement. He added that the level of commitment demonstrated by taxpayers moved him to postpone the auction so that other taxpayers could have additional time to pay.
“This is precisely the kind of result that we want when we advertise an auction,” Mr. Potter said on Wednesday. “The goal is not to sell anyone’s property, rather, the aim is to motivate people to communicate with the Tax Collector, so they can do what is necessary to keep their property.”
“We are pleased with the incredible response, but be advised that this opportunity is not guaranteed to happen again; delinquent St. Croix taxpayers who continue to be delinquent will definitely be listed for the next auction date,” he added.
Announcement with new dates will be released “at an appropriate time,” Mr. Potter said today.
The territory’s interest in the property auctions piqued following a post on The Consortium’s front page making known that two massive government-sanctioned auction events were set to be held on June 29 on St. Croix, and July 8 in St. Thomas. The story reached over 48,000 people on the company’s Facebook platform, and another 26,000 on the website. It garnered over 70 comments plus replies on our Facebook platform, and well over 300 shares.
Citing local law, Mr. Potter said Section 2548 provides that the lieutenant governor may postpone an auction sale from day to day if, in his opinion, such continuation is necessary, and for good and sufficient cause may adjourn the sale for a period not exceeding 60 days. Mr. Potter expressed his belief that there was good cause to postpone the sale because several of the largest delinquent taxpayers have either made payments in full, or entered into payment plans after making significant down payments.
The lieutenant governor encouraged delinquent property owners to pay their overdue taxes or to secure a payment plan. For those who have already registered, the Tax Collector will honor their registration fees for the next auction, or is prepared to provide a refund if a registrant so prefers.
For more information, contact the Office of the Tax Collector at (340) 776-8505 on St. Thomas or (340) 773-6449 on St. Croix.
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