Sheriff Steve Prator announced today that Caddo Parish will be the first Sheriff’s Office in Louisiana to conduct on-line tax sale auctions of properties with delinquent taxes.

The on-line auction will take the place of the traditional tax sale held each May at the Parish Courthouse. Traditional sales require anyone desiring to participate in the process to be present when the auction is being conducted. On-line auctions will allow access to a greater number of citizens who will now be able to bid on properties from their home or place of business. 

The first on-line tax sale will be conducted during May 2010. Anyone interested in participating in the tax sale may register on-line prior to the sale or by visiting the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office Tax Department. During the sale, computers will be available at the Caddo Parish Courthouse for the public to register and participate in the bidding process. The new process does not affect the weekly sheriff’s sales held at the Courthouse. 

On-line information will include a list of properties, a plotted map, satellite images of the properties, the amount of delinquent taxes owed, and answers to general questions about the tax sale process. 

“The spirit of the law is that everyone should have access to the tax sale,” Prator said. “But the reality is, unless you read the ad and can get to the Courthouse, you can’t participate. Now that has changed. If someone from around the world would like to bid, they will have the opportunity.” 

This is the second major program implemented by the Sheriff recently to improve services offered by the Tax Office. In October the Sheriff announced that parish property owners can now pre-pay their taxes to avoid lump sum end-of-the-year payments.Payments made either monthly or quarterly can be deposited into an escrow account and applied to property tax bills when they come due at the end of the year.