DATE: January 24, 2023
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Oscar J. Garcia, CPA, Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector
SUBJECT: Agreement with Harmony Research for Parties of Interest Searches on Tax-Defaulted Property
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute an Agreement with Harmony Research for title searches to discover parties of interest for purposes of giving notices of the County's annual sale of tax-defaulted properties, effective January 24, 2023 through January 24, 2026, with no more than two optional one-year extensions, total not to exceed $650,000.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action would authorize Harmony Research to provide party of interest reports related to the County's annual sale of tax-defaulted property pursuant to California Revenue and Taxation Code, Division 1, Part 6, Chapter 7. The maximum amount of the contract, including the two one-year renewals upon written approval of both parties at least 30 days before the first day of the next one-year extension period, will not exceed $650,000, or $130,000 per year, at no increase in Net County Cost. The item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
If the recommended action is not approved, the department would be required to perform this work internally. The Auditor-Controller/Treasurer-Tax Collector (Tax Collector) is required by law to conduct a tax sale, and to give notices to parties of interest in the properties to be sold. Parties of interest include lienholders of record and titleholders of record for each property to be sold. The department does not have adequate internal staffing to perform the title search work to discover parties of interest for all of the tax-defaulted properties in the County. The Tax Collector conducts a tax sale on average once a year, and it has not been feasible for the department to maintain dedicated staff with the expertise needed to perform this work.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net Coun...
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