HENDERSON, KY, April 26, 2022- The first five parcels in the most recent mass foreclosure action filed by the City of Henderson will be sold by
the Master Commissioner at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 11.
The sale will take place at the Henderson County Courthouse, Fiscal Courtroom, which is located on the third floor of the courthouse at 20 N. Main St.
Here is a list of the properties and a few details about them:
* 650 Seventh St., house and lot, zoned Residential-3, size 60 by 92.
* 28 Meadow St., house and lot, zoned Residential-3, size 34 by 150.
* 250 Lincoln Ave., house and lot, zoned Residential-2, size 50 by 100.
* 1615 Powell St., house and lot, zoned Residential-3, size 40 by 200.
* 605 Sixth St., house and lot, zoned Residential-3, size 33 by 145.
This is the third time in a little more than six years that the City of Henderson has pursued a mass foreclosure action to recover back taxes and
code enforcement liens.
Before the City's mass foreclosure actions in 2016 and 2019, there had not been any foreclosure proceedings since 1989. That 1989 action was done
solely on tax liens.
There were 20 suits included in the most recent mass action, which is a benchmark according to City Attorney Dawn S. Kelsey. Two properties in the
mass foreclosure suit have since been resolved, leaving 18 to be sold by the Master Commissioner.
One property is being sold solely on tax liens and the rest for a combination of tax liens and code enforcement liens. There are 10 vacant lots ready
for redevelopment in the mass action.
"We are allowed by statute to do a mass foreclosure where we can put numerous counts in one lawsuit," Ms. Kelsey said. "It saves the City money and
time and expedites the foreclosure process."
The goal for mass foreclosure, she added, is to recoup some of the expenses generated by maintaining these properties and hopefully also spur
redevelopment that will get them back on the tax rolls.
In the sales scheduled for May 11, delinquent taxes and code enforcement liens owed tally approximately $35,000.
"When we get a judgment, they go into a Master Commissioner's public sale and then will be available to whomever comes and bids on them," Kelsey said.
"We want them to be productive."
When they are sold, she said, the properties come with a clear title.
In recent years the City has put into place a progressive plan to "clean up the city and remove condemned properties." Unmaintained, dilapidated
and abandoned property is a civic problem across the United States.
The City is addressing and managing the issue through the creation of a Code Enforcement Board that started in July 2017.
One success story from the 2016 mass foreclosure was the acquisition of lots in the 200 block of Letcher Street across from East End Park that
is now a three single-family-home development project for Habitat for Humanity of Henderson.
"The result of that mass foreclosure helped us see that we are on the right track in our desire to see abandoned and neglected properties in our
community get cleaned up and become productive again," said Mayor Steve Austin. "We look forward to seeing more momentum of this type in the area
of community development. Having a strategic mass foreclosure plan in place is a key ingredient."
If you signed up to be on the notification list and haven't received notification of this sale, or if you would like to be added to the list to be
notified of future Master Commissioner sales related to the City's mass foreclosure, you may call the City Attorney's office at (270) 831-4944.
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