JoAnn Little and Vanessa Knox are tired of being ignored and not getting answers in what they believe is a “broken system.”
The two women purchased property in Yazoo City only to receive bills of unpaid assessments from the previous owners that added up to thousands of dollars. They learned of the late fees after they were told no back taxes were owed on the properties before they purchased them.
Stuck with the bill, the two women have begged for answers and direction from city leaders. And they have been told “there is nothing more to discuss.”
The two city residents are frustrated and turned to The Yazoo Herald to ensure no other people experience what they are calling a “living nightmare.”
“I feel this is a travesty,” Little said. “There are people buying property in Yazoo City not knowing when they get ready to pay taxes in January that an assessment could be added on after the purchase, even if the assessment was billed to the previous owner.”
The property at 1703 Wheless Street was declared a public menace by the Board of Mayor and Aldermen after a public hearing on June 30, 2014.
Russ Carter, building inspector, noted that “the house has been abandoned for several years; roof falling in; windows out; walls in disrepair; overgrown grass and bushes.”
Carter also said homeless people were frequently visiting the property.
“It is a health hazard and a menace to the public,” Carter said.
The owner at the time was Gregory Price of Clinton. He was repeatedly sent notifications from the city surrounding the clean-up of his property prior to the 2014 public hearing.
The city council approved the demolition and cleaning of the unkempt property after that public hearing.
City leaders authorized the use of municipal resources and labor, along with penalty fees, which totaled $17,358.
The $17K bill was added to Price’s taxes, but he never paid.
Little became interested in the lots in 2015, hoping to build a house on the property.
Little visited the Yazoo County Chancery Clerk’s office to make sure no back taxes were owed on the property before she purchased it.
“I was told that there were no taxes owed on that property,” Little said. “I thought it was free and clear.”
Little purchased the property in October of 2015 from Price. She said Price never told her about the city’s assessment of $17,358.
She never heard about that bill until January when she attempted to pay taxes on the property.
“I found out that an assessment of $17,358 plus late fees from the previous owner had been added,” she said. “At the time I purchased the property, that assessment was not on the tax record and did not appear until November 2015.”
Little said she was floored when she was told about the high assessment on the tax record.
“Obviously, I would not have purchased property with these fees,” Little said.
Like many lots taken from their owners for failure to pay taxes, the property at 720 East Fourth Street was purchased by an investment company, Sibley Properties.
But many times those purchases fall short with the properties typically falling back into unkempt conditions. Investment companies are often buying properties in hopes that the owner will pay the back taxes and the company can collect the associated fees.
Sibley Properties was also given notifications about the city declaring the lot a menace and using city labor and resources to clean it up. A public hearing was held on June 30, 2014.
The city of Yazoo City tackled the nuisance and cleaned up the lot. They also sent Sibley Properties a bill for $26,380.
Knox would later become interested in purchasing the property in an effort to preserve her neighborhood.
“Yazoo City is going down,” she said. “I wanted to control my area and keep it looking nice.”
Knox purchased the lot in January of 2015, even paying two years of back taxes that were owed on the property.
The assessment from the city in the amount of $26,380 was never found on file, Knox said.
“I then went in January of 2016 to pay my taxes when I got that notice,” she said. “I had no idea about it.”
The assessments added to both Little and Knox’s properties come from the city of Yazoo City to the office of the county tax collector.
“I simply put the assessment the city sends to us on a tax receipt,” said Travis Crimm, county tax collector. “The city sends us those assessments once a year, and I do my receipts in November.”
Crimm also said his office does not keep the assessments and the amounts associated with them in their records.
“We have nothing in our system, our books, our records,” he said. “We just collect the money.”
Crimm said the property’s previous owners are “supposed” to let potential buyers know about those looming assessments. Unfortunately, they usually don’t.
“The people who sold the properties to the individuals should have disclosed that with them,” Crimm said.
Crimm suggested that potential buyers should also visit with the city’s building inspector to check his files on any assessment a property may have on record.
But there is a way out of situation for both Little and Knox.
“I can get a request from the Board of Mayor and Aldermen asking to pull those assessments, and I would be glad to do that,” Crimm said. “But I can’t do that without the city giving me permission to do so.”
Both Little and Knox were told to speak to Mayor Diane Delaware about the matter. They appeared before the city council, but received no answers.
During those board meetings, Delaware told them to schedule an appointment with her office.
Little and Knox said they can’t get an appointment and have been “brushed off” for several months.
“So far it seems like my dilemma has fallen on deaf ears,” Little said. “I tried to set up a meeting with the mayor. She had her assistant call me back to say that she was working on it and there was no need for any more meetings.”
Knox said she wishes Delaware would present the request to the city council regarding waiving the assessments.
“But I was told, ‘if I do it for you, I will have to do it for others,’” Knox said. “I understand that, but do what’s right.”
Both Little and Knox are working with attorneys to resolve the matter.
They are just frustrated that the same city leaders who asked for their votes now ignore them.
“People buy property, thinking they are free and clear,” Little said. “Then they are slapped with all these fees. And now we’re being ignored. People in Yazoo City need to know about this.”
“It is a broken system,” Knox added. “And it needs to be fixed so other people don’t walk into the same trap. This has turned into a nightmare.”
