JAY — Selectpersons voted Monday to have title searches done on two tax-acquired properties and, if they come back clean, to put the properties out to bid.

The board put a minimum bid of $15,000 on a house and 0.18 of an acre at 425 Old Jay Hill Road. The town values the property at $76,010.

Town Clerk Ronda Palmer said the woman who owned the property has died but she had spoken to her daughter and explained what was going on and the options the family had. She never heard back from her, she said.

The town is owed $4,815 in back taxes and sewer fees.

Palmer recommended that the town add next year’s taxes and sewer fees and associated expenses, including the title search and advertising, to the minimum bid. The owner of the property on April 1 gets the tax bill. The town will own the property on that date and the person who buys the property will not get a tax bill when taxes are assessed later this year.

The other tax-acquired property is 14.8 acres of land at 357 Keep Road. The town values that property at $25,600, and total taxes due are $1,437. Palmer said she has spoken to the property owner but did not hear back from her.

The board put a $5,000 minimum bid on the property.

In another business matter, the board voted to put out to bid the cleanup of two connecting properties on Route 17 that are in violation of the state’s junkyard law.

The town has been working since 1999 to try and get the property brought into compliance with the law, Palmer said.

“We have obtained a court order to abate the property and to recover the cost from the property owners by placing a tax on the property,” she said.

The front property is owned by the heirs of Leroy Pollis and the back piece is owned by Darren Pollis, Leroy’s son. Carol Dolbier is the personal representative of the front piece, Palmer said.

Anything in violation of the law would need to be cleaned up, if the property owners haven’t done so by May 1.

There are several mobile homes in disrepair and some have fallen in on themselves, she said. There are piles of metal mixed in with mattresses and trees are growing up through them, she said.

Palmer estimated there were about 50 tires left on the property that needed to be removed. The town previously received a grant to help clean up some of the tires.

Darren Pollis has moved out several vehicles, she said.

The town has spent an estimated $11,000 on legal fees and it will take an estimated $3,500 to finish the process. That would also have to be paid by the owners of the properties.

The town has an ordinance and there has been due process, Selectperson Tim DeMillo said.

He moved that the board get proposals to clean up the property. Selectpersons approved it.

dperry@sunmediagroup.net