Properties more than 15 years in tax arrears may be sold

KENT — At the Board of Selectmen’s regular meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 7, Tax Collector Deborah Devaux announced that she is beginning the process of organizing a tax auction of properties whose owners are delinquent on their property taxes.

There are currently 12 properties that could potentially go to auction, and Devaux said that all of the owners have been informed of their debts and the possible consequences of not paying them.

All of the property owners have owed taxes to the town for more than three years. Some are reaching the 15-year threshold at which the debts would begin to be annulled.

Not all of the debts are large, and some of the property owners have been working toward paying them off.

“Some of them are working to their capacity to pay their debt, and that’s the sad part,� Devaux said at the meeting.

Selectman Karren Garrity said she would like to look into finding options for those who are attempting to pay their debts, by talking to Director of Social Services Jerrilynn Tiso.

Devaux mentioned that there has been a precedent for tax abatements, which would give property owners an exemption or reduction of their debt. In some cases it may be a better choice for the town to take this direction, since eviction and storage of personal property could be very expensive for the town.

If a house is sold at auction, the original owners would have six months to redeem the property before the new owners could have them evicted. If there are no bidders on the property, the town could end up owning it.

Devaux said that a tax sale of this sort has only happened once before in Kent, and that it was only for land. She decided to begin working on this sale because many of the debts will soon expire.

“I’ve been pushing many of these off to the side,� she said.

Another option that was discussed at the meeting was changing the three-year minimum for eligible properties to five years, which would reduce the number of houses on the list from 12 to six.

The selectmen decided to table the issue until they had more information on the options for helping homeowners who are attempting to pay their debts. It will be discussed it at a special meeting.
 

Latest News

Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

Keep ReadingShow less
Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

Keep ReadingShow less