As Payments Pour In, Lieutenant Governor Postpones St. Croix Property Auction

ST. CROIX — Lieutenant Governor Osbert Potter on Wednesday announced that the property auction planned for tomorrow here at the Juan F. Luis Hospital, has been postponed due to overwhelming requests from taxpayers still seeking to address their delinquencies.

According to Mr. Potter, as of today, the Tax Collector has received actual payments, or commitments to pay, of over three-quarters of a million dollars in outstanding auction debt. Mr. Potter said that with this level of commitment demonstrated by taxpayers, he decided to postpone the auction so that other taxpayers in the St. Croix district will have additional time to pay.

“This is precisely the kind of result that we want when we advertise an auction,” Mr. Potter said. “The goal is not to sell anyone’s property, rather, the aim is to motivate people to communicate with the Tax Collector, so they can do what is necessary to keep their property.”

“We are pleased with the incredible response, but be advised that this opportunity is not guaranteed to happen again; delinquent St. Croix taxpayers who continue to be delinquent will definitely be listed for the next auction date,” he added.

The territory’s interest in the property auctions piqued following a post on The Consortium’s front page making known that two massive government-sanctioned auction events were set to be held on June 29 on St. Croix, and July 8 in St. Thomas. The story reached over 48,000 people on the company’s Facebook platform, and another 26,000 on the website. It garnered over 70 comments plus replies on our Facebook platform, and well over 300 shares.

Mr. Potter did not say whether the St. Thomas-St. John event would be postponed.

Citing local law, Mr. Potter said Section 2548 provides that the lieutenant governor may postpone an auction sale from day to day if, in his opinion, such continuation is necessary, and for good and sufficient cause may adjourn the sale for a period not exceeding 60 days. Mr. Potter expressed his belief that there was good cause to postpone the sale because several of the largest delinquent taxpayers have either made payments in full, or entered into payment plans after making significant down payments.

The lieutenant governor encouraged delinquent property owners to pay their overdue taxes or to secure a payment plan. For those who have already registered, the Tax Collector will honor their registration fees for the next auction, or is prepared to provide a refund if a registrant so prefers.

For more information, contact the Office of the Tax Collector at (340) 776-8505 on St. Thomas or (340) 773-6449 on St. Croix.