A Knox-based furniture company went to tax sale on Thursday, and the lien on the property has been purchased.
Selected Furniture, located at 1001 W. Culver Road, specializes in the manufacture of commercial and restaurant furniture. According to records released by the Starke County Treasurer’s office, delinquent property taxes led to the site’s participation.
The land is owned by Indiana Industrial Holdings, LLC. and, according to the tax sale legal announcement, owes just under $34-thousand on the land.
Selected Furniture saw its City of Knox property tax levy abatement revoked earlier this year. Knox Mayor Dennis Estok said at the time a lack of communication from the company and a failure to properly file continuing tax abatement documents was a leading cause behind the move.
The company moved to Knox in 2012 and resides in the former Rockwell Windows building. The business said their move to the Midwest from China was to improve product quality and efficiency.
Landowners that did not fulfill their property tax obligations had until September 12th of this year to do so before a petition was sought in the courts to put the property up for tax sale. Selected Furniture failed to pay the taxes owed on the property as of yesterday afternoon, according to Starke County Treasurer Kasey Clark.
The purchase was made by Melvin Zeiters of Monterey after he satisfying the $33-thousand owed. Clark says there were no competing bids on the property and that the lien was purchased for the minimum possible amount. The treasurer’s office also says representatives of Selected Furniture were not present at the tax sale.
The lien purchase does not mean the title to the land transfers to Zeiters at this time.
According to Clark, a full 365 days must pass before Zeiters may petition the courts seeking a title transfer to his name. Selected Furniture’s title holding company still has the opportunity to complete its property tax levy obligations to continue holding the title to the land.
Once a year has passed, only then could possible alternatives been seen with the current site of the Selected Furniture building.
