The Land Sales Work Group meets at 3 p.m. Monday to discuss methods Douglas County can use to increase the sale of land owned by the county. The group was established by the Douglas County Board of Supervisors in response to a decrease in revenue from land sales that has occurred over the last few years.
Douglas County acquires land through the nonpayment of property taxes. Once acquired, the land becomes available for sale. Often times, citizens will request that a parcel of county-owned land be placed up for sale. The Land and Development Committee acts on those requests, places a value on the parcels and works with the County Clerk's Office to advertise in the bidding process for parcels. The Land & Development Committee opens the bids for each parcel and makes a recommendation to the County Board regarding to whom the parcel should be sold. Typically, the high bid is accepted.
Proceeds from the sale of the parcels are used to pay the taxes owed on the parcels. Remaining cash is deposited in the Land Improvement Account, which is overseen by the Land and Development Committee. Money within the account helps cover the County's costs associated with land sales, economic development activities and expenses related to the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
The Land & Development Committee also recommends grants to local organizations from the account. In 2016, the Committee recommended and the County Board affirmed grants to the City of Superior-owned animal shelter operated by the Humane Society of Douglas County; the Douglas County Historical Society; the Lake Superior Dragon Boat Festival; Douglas County 4-H; the Development Association; the Superior-Douglas County Convention and Visitor's Bureau; and Better City Superior.
Increasing interest in the land Douglas County has available for sale is imperative if the county is to continue to support these important organizations.
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The Land Sales Work Group hopes to develop recommendations, that when implemented, will result in more property back on the tax rolls and additional revenue for the Land Improvement Account.
For more information on Douglas County government, please visit our website at www.douglascountywi.org . I welcome your comments and suggestions. I can be reached at 715-395-1335 or andy.lisak@douglascountywi.org .
