Franklin County Treasurer Josie Kelzer briefed commissioners at a workshop on Oct. 22 about the county’s remaining tax‑title properties and options for disposition.

Kelzer said the treasurer’s office acquired a set of tax‑title parcels after they failed to draw bids at foreclosure sales. In February 2023 the office held 31 parcels that dated as far back as 1938; since then the treasurer reported 25 parcels have been sold or otherwise returned to the tax rolls. Kelzer said six parcels remain in county tax title, five of which are small slivers or otherwise non‑buildable parcels with little standalone value (many under $500). The sixth is a larger parcel on Columbia River Road in Pasco.

That Pasco parcel is approximately 26 acres and, according to the treasurer’s office, was acquired by tax deed in 1938. The assessor’s office provided an assessed value of $1,249,255 for the parcel; the treasurer said the county also has a dated written ‘‘permission to utilize for farming purposes’’ on file from March 13, 1980. Kelzer told the commissioners the county has not been charging rent for farming or other uses on the tax‑title portion and that the parcel has been farmed by local operators.

Kelzer laid out the statutory options: a parcel in tax title may be sold by public auction, disposed of by private negotiation to adjacent owners where statutorily permitted (for low‑value or non‑buildable parcels), or exchanged or devoted to public use under RCW provisions. The treasurer noted the statute allows exchange to the county at 90% of equivalent value in some circumstances; she said interpretation of public‑use language and valuation for decades‑old title holdings will require legal input.

Commissioners asked how the county could take full possession. Administrator Brian Dansel described prior informal permissions and said the county should not let the parcel remain in limbo. After discussing valuation challenges for a parcel with tax history back to 1938, one commissioner said: "it appears to me, based on that RCW, that we declare it for public use, and that takes it out of the limbo state." Commissioners directed staff to seek legal counsel and prepare a resolution if appropriate; the treasurer said she would confirm which remaining small parcels were non‑buildable or under the statutory low‑value threshold and then bring proposed resolutions for board action.

Kelzer described the treasurer’s auction practice: the office uses online auction vendors for broader bidder turnout, which the treasurer said tends to draw a larger pool of bidders than local in‑person auctions and usually is less expensive to administer. She also described requirements attached to private negotiations for adjacent owners (for example, consolidation and making the parcels current on taxes to avoid recurring delinquency).

Commissioners asked the treasurer’s office to verify values and buildability for the five small remaining parcels and to coordinate with legal counsel on options for the 26‑acre Columbia River Road parcel. One commissioner recommended preparing a resolution to declare the large parcel for public use so the county can move from the current informal arrangements to a defined status.

No final resolution was adopted during the workshop; staff will return with proposed resolutions and the legal office’s recommended approach.