The Guilford County Tax Department has a number of tools in its tool shed to make people pay their property taxes owed each year – and one of those tools – or weapons – is publishing a list of taxpayers who haven’t ponied up.

At the Guilford County Board of Commissioners Thursday, March 3 meeting, the board is scheduled to vote once again – as it does annually – to give Guilford County Tax Director Ben Chavis the go-ahead to put out for public review a list of names of those who are past due on their taxes. 

The agenda calls for the board to vote to “Adopt [A] Resolution Ordering The Advertisement Of Delinquent 2021 Tax Liens On Real Property.” Under NC General Statute 105-369, the tax collector must report to the local government’s governing body the total amount of unpaid taxes.  Upon receiving that report, the governing body – in this case, the Board of Commissioners – must order the tax collector to advertise the names of those who are delinquent.

In the past, some interesting names have appeared on the list that’s been printed in a local newspaper as well as posted online. Years ago, the names of county commissioners would sometimes show up on the list.  However, a former Guilford County Tax Director then adopted the practice of calling up the delinquent commissioners and giving them a chance to make good on their property taxes before the list was finalized.

The list of delinquent 2021 taxes, which become liens on property, will be filed with the minutes of the March 3 commissioners meeting. Chavis, as is called for in state law, is both “authorized and ordered” to proceed with the advertisement of tax liens on all 2021 real property taxes that haven’t been paid.