Properties up for auction in Winnebago, Boone bring in $1M

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Sales of 170 properties at auction in Winnebago and Boone Counties brought in more than $1 million to local governments.

The Region 1 Planning Council announced the results of the April 2024 Trustee Land Program, which placed more than 250 tax-delinquent properties on the auction block.

Twenty-six of the properties had houses attached.

“For the last four years, the new Winnebago County Trustee program has returned millions of dollars’ worth of property back to private ownership, which has grown our county’s tax base,” says Greg Jury, Mayor of Loves Park.  “I am especially proud of how Region 1 Planning Council continues to improve the property buying process, now also incorporating Boone County.”

The counties used the R1 Planning Council as the agent in the sales, with the intent of selling the properties to new owners who will maintain them and eliminate neighborhood blight.

“We’re not just selling properties. We’re sowing seeds of positive neighborhood transformations,” says Tom McNamara, Mayor of Rockford. “With each sale, we pave the way for revitalization, reducing the burden on our city by alleviating costs of maintenance, like mowing. It’s not just about the transactions; it’s about the overall impact we’re making, one property at a time.”

When an individual or business fails to pay property taxes, typically after three years of nonpayment, county government becomes the custodian of the neglected parcel after obtaining an order for tax deed in Circuit Court. Every year, unpaid taxes hinder the ability of local governments to provide critical services to residents, including police and fire protection, and the operation of public schools and courts.

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