DOUGLAS COUNTY — Bids on tax-deeded and county-owned land could soon be placed online under procedure changes discussed during the Dec. 31 Land and Development Committee meeting.
“I think it brings us more into this century with purchasing properties. It also makes it, I would say, more competitive. … I know the process would be significantly easier and more streamlined,” Douglas County Clerk Kaci Jo Lundgren told committee members.
The parcels would first be brought to the Land and Development Committee to set a minimum bid amount. They would then be advertised in the paper and listed online through
the Wisconsin Surplus online auction site,
which 97% of the other Wisconsin counties use to sell their land, Lundgren said.
There is no cost to the county to list properties on Wisconsin Surplus, she said, but it would add another month to the process.
“The biggest changes will hopefully be the ease of purchasing county-owned property. Everything will be available online and through email versus having to stop by or be mailed a packet, needing a cashier’s check, and trying to follow when properties are available,” Lundgren said. “This new process will also allow us to have an email list for individuals to subscribe to sales to be notified of any properties that may be up for auction.”
Advertising requirements changed under Wisconsin Act 207, which was passed in 2023. The sale of county land now only needs to be advertised once in the newspaper rather than three times.
“The advertisement will also be available on our website throughout the time the auction/bidding is open,” Lundgren said.
Adjacent property owners, the city planner or municipal clerk, the Development Association and the person requesting the sale will also be notified.
Counties are required to advertise a property for sale within 240 days of acquiring a tax deed under Act 207. That window shortens to 180 days in 2026.
The new law also limits how much of the sale price a county can keep. The county can recuperate the actual costs associated with acquiring the property, from postage fees and employee time to publication notice fees, Lundgren said. This includes the back taxes that the individual owed the county. The former owner is entitled to any of the remaining proceeds. If the person does not claim those proceeds, it follows the unclaimed funds process and stays in a holding account for 10 years, at which point the funds are released back to the county’s general fund.
The procedure updates discussed Dec. 31 also cover the sale of county-owned land that was not acquired through tax deed. Although that process is not required to follow certain statutes, Lundgren said, having the same procedure for both keeps things streamlined.
Another proposed change would limit the number of county-owned parcels the County Clerk’s Office sets up for sale at any one time while complying with statutes. Some individuals have called to ask the county to set up 20 parcels at a time, Lundgren said.
“It is not the intent to limit the properties we put up for sale; we would love to get all of these properties in the hands of the public. The intent of limiting the number of parcels to be set up for sale is to allow a better understanding of what is realistic to be advertised and sold during any one month,” Lundgren said.
Committee members asked for a few tweaks to the proposal, including that land bids return to the committee for approval before moving forward to the county board for final approval.
“We’re that first check to make sure that it’s what this county wants,” said Douglas County Board Supervisor Alan Jaques. “Douglas County’s been well known for doing that for many years, using the ability of the committees. We all come from different walks of life. We all see things differently. We all have different neighborhoods that we live in. … I like that we get the first look at that, and maybe first denial or approval.”
The changes were sent to Corporation Counsel Carolyn Pierce for review. They will be brought back to the Land and Development Committee during its Feb. 25 meeting. If approved, the proposal would move on to the full board March 20 for approval.
Maria Lockwood covers news in Douglas County, Wisconsin, for the Superior Telegram.
