Summary
The county sold 16 foreclosed parcels at auction and will execute quitclaim deeds. One small Ithaca parcel sold for so little the county took a loss, and the county attorney said there's no direct way to recover it from the former owner — an Albany problem, members agreed.
At a glance
- Total mentions
- 4
- Last 30 days
- 0
Discussed at 1 meeting in the last 60 days; most recently Sep 8, 2026.
Impact analysis
The county absorbed a loss on at least one parcel sold below the taxes owed.
Buyers of the foreclosed properties who receive clear title.
County taxpayers absorb the loss on under-selling parcels.
Mentions & discussions (4)
Government Operations Committee - Regular Meeting — September 8, 2026
The county sold 16 foreclosed parcels at auction and will execute quitclaim deeds. One small Ithaca parcel sold for so little the county took a loss, and the county attorney said there's no direct way to recover it from the former owner — an Albany problem, members agreed.
Tompkins County Legislature - Regular Meeting — May 5, 2026
Counties must front unpaid school, town, and village taxes — often 5-8 times the county's own share — for years before foreclosure. With a pending Supreme Court case possibly raising the bar, the Legislature voted 13-2 to ask the state to become the guarantor instead. Critics worried the ask was too ambitious.
Government Operations Committee - Regular Meeting — April 14, 2026
State law forces the county to pay school districts, towns, and villages even when property owners don't pay their taxes — and the county often can't recoup that money when foreclosed properties sell for less than what's owed. A pending Supreme Court case could make it even worse. The committee wants the state to step in.
Budget, Capital, and Personnel Committee - Regular Meeting — April 13, 2026
Counties must make schools, towns, and villages whole for unpaid property taxes while foreclosure cases wind through years of process — and a pending Supreme Court case could make it worse.
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