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PROCEDURE FOR SALE OF TAX DEEDED LANDS The following procedure applies to the sale of tax deeded lands and conforms with Sections 75.35 and 75.69 of the Wisconsin Statutes: 1. A request for bid of a piece of land is made to the County Clerk’s Office. 2. A Bid Application Form for Douglas County Land (Form #9-1) is completed by County Clerk staff. This form is sent to the supervisor of the district in which the property is located for comments. A copy is sent to the City Planner (if located in the City of Superior); Municipal Chair/President (if located in a town or village); County Zoning Department; County Highway Department; County Forestry Department (depending on location); and The Development Association. 3. The Land and Development Committee receives a copy of the bid application form with meeting agendas. At the next meeting, the committee will decide whether to approve the property for sale and set a minimum bid amount, or to hold the property from sale. 4. After the committee has set a minimum bid amount, the County Clerk’s Office sends a bid form to the individual requesting said property. Bid forms are also sent to adjacent property owners, if: The adjacent property touches the subject property, either by being alongside the property or diagonal to it; The adjacent property is separated by an alley, whether physically built or not; or The adjacent property is separated by a platted street, which has not been physically built, and are available for others in the County Clerk’s Office. Property is advertised by publication of a Class 3 notice; sealed bids are accepted and opened as indicated on the legal notice. 5. The committee reviews the bids, rejects any bids that are less than the minimum bid amount, and may accept the bid most advantageous to the county or reject any or all bids, based on the criteria set forth in 10(c) below. In the event the committee does not meet on a scheduled date for land bid openings, the County Clerk is authorized to open bids received and refer all high bids to the County Board for approval. 6. Notice of the pending sale is mailed to the clerk of the municipality in which the real estate is located at least three weeks prior to the time of sale. ---PAGE BREAK--- 7. A resolution is presented to the board approving the sale. 8. A Quit Claim Deed is made out to the successful bidder. 9. Those properties that have been previously advertised for sale may be sold according to the following procedure: Property is advertised for sale by publication of a Class 1 notice; Adjacent property owner(s) (as defined in 4 above) is(are) notified; The Land and Development Committee reviews the bids, may reject any or all bids, or may accept a bid that is less than the minimum bid amount but, cannot accept a bid that is less than the highest bid, unless the committee outlines in the resolution the reasons for accepting a bid that is less than the highest bid. As a general practice, the committee will not consider a bid that is less than 75% of the minimum bid amount. However, the committee reserves the right to accept any bid if the proposed use and/or development of the property is deemed desirable and advantageous to the county; Those properties not sold after the Class I bid opening will remain available for purchase by bid, with any bids received referred to the Land and Development Committee; A resolution is presented to the Board approving the sale; and A Quit Claim Deed is made out to the successful bidder. 10. Bids must be made on official bid blank form, which can be obtained at the County Clerk’s Office, and includes the following information: Douglas County reserves the right to reject any and all bids or to award the bid most advantageous to Douglas County. Bid may be accepted for less than the minimum bid amount of the parcel as listed on the advertisement for bid. All payments must be made in the form of a certified cashier’s check or money order made payable to Douglas County Clerk, and in accordance with the following: For bid amount under $25,000, full amount of bid must accompany each bid; or ---PAGE BREAK--- For bid amount of $25,000 and above, a down payment of 25% of the bid amount must accompany each bid. The remaining amount due must be paid in full by the subsequent County Board meeting or the sale will not be approved and the down payment will not be refunded. Douglas County reserves the right to reject any and all bids or to award the bid most advantageous to Douglas County. Bids are awarded based on the following criteria: Dollar value; Prospective use of property; Prior ownership; Adjacent property ownership; Taxability of property upon transfer; Build ability under present zoning codes; Access; Delinquent real estate taxes owed by bidder; and Any other criteria the Land and Development Committee wishes to consider to evaluate any bid. All mineral rights are reserved by Douglas County. It is the responsibility of the bidder to: Determine whether the proposed use of the property is in compliance with all zoning ordinances and wetland laws and all other county or municipal ordinances pertaining to property management and use. Douglas County does not guarantee that a proposed use will be allowable; and Obtain access into landlocked property. Section 80.13 of the Wisconsin Statutes governs land shut out from public highway. Douglas County does not guarantee access. All bids are final. Any request to withdraw a bid must be made to the Land and Development Committee, with sufficient reason. A withdrawal penalty of 10% of the bid amount (minimum $100.00; maximum $2,000.00) will be retained by the county . Douglas County will transfer title by Quit Claim Deed, which is intended to pass any title, interest, or claim which Douglas County may have in the property, but does not warrant clear title. ---PAGE BREAK--- Certain City of Superior properties may have delinquent stormwater utility fees and/or sewage fees owing at the time of purchase and these will become the responsibility of the new owner. Contact Douglas County Treasurer to determine if this applies to the parcel you are bidding on. All sales are final. Purchaser is responsible for any current year real estate taxes or special assessments that may be owed and not paid against the subject property. Any maps of parcels provided by the Douglas County Clerk’s Office are for illustration purposes only, and may not accurately reflect the actual legal boundaries of a parcel. Amendments: July 20, 2006 June 29, 2010 November 28, 2017 November 18, 2021