Tolland to Hold Delinquent Tax Property Auction

The Town of Tolland will be auctioning off properties to settle delinquent tax debts amounting to $118,793.04  this March, according to the Tax Collector's Office.

While many of the properties are smaller, residential parcels, business owners who are tenants of the plazas at 12 and 24 Goose Lane could be affected as the property changes hands.

Attorney Adam Cohen of Pullman & Comley, who is executing the auction for the town, said that the winning bidder will have the right to either keep the current Goose Lane tenants or lease to new businesses.

According to signage at the properties, the following businesses are located at the two addresses:

• The Hand Center
• Salon Gio
• Tolland Therapeutic Massage & Integrated Wellness
• A Touch of Magic
• Tolland Counseling Center
• Cultivating Change Counseling Services, LLC

The title of the commercial property, currently owned by Goose Lane, LLC, would be transferred to the winning bidder six months after the March 19 auction.

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It is also possible, Cohen added, that the bank holding mortgages on the property could redeem the property by paying the delinquent taxes to the town. Sovereign Bank holds mortgages on both Goose Lane parcels, Cohen said.

Tolland Collector of Revenue Linda Calabrese said that the auction is the end of several years of attempts to contact the property owners for payment. A number of notices were sent out, payment plans were drafted and numerous telephone calls were made before scheduling the auction, she said.

And for some property owners, the auction is a welcome solution, since a few have filed letters expressing an interest in giving up the parcels, Calabrese noted.

The town also had to ensure that several requirements were met before the properties can head to auction:

• Taxes not paid for at least a year and a half
• A threshold of $10,000 or more in taxes owed
• Appropriate measures made to collect
• Committee of town council members, Human Services Director, Town Manager, Finance Director and Collector of Revenue approve the property for auction

The complete list of auctioned properties reads as follows, according to the tax office notice:

• 12 and 24 Goose Lane
• 64 Columbine Road
• 34 Old Farms Road
• 5 Amanda Way
• 636 Sugar Hill Road
• 423 Hunter Road
• 60 Gehring Road Extension

Cohen's fees for handling the case will be paid by setting a minimum bid at the auction, Calabrese said.

The auction is scheduled for 10 a.m. on March 19 at town hall.