The county prosecuting attorney and county treasurer have teamed up to take advantage of a section of the Ohio Revised Code that will give the county another tool in collecting back taxes.

It allows the prosecutor to petition the common pleas judge to name the treasurer as the receiver of a business that is delinquent.

“You take financial control of the company,” County Treasurer Stephen Burcham said. “You approve any bills to be paid and receive all money. You are not the owner. You control the money. You present the judge with a list of bills to be paid and the money received. Our bill would be on top. We are asking people to do what they are supposed to do. It seems very successful so far.”

After Burcham determined if the company had enough money to pay its tax bill, the bill would be paid and the receivership would be terminated.

“The code requires you be delinquent for at least six months,” County Prosecuting Attorney Brigham Anderson said. “At the request of Mr. Burcham we sent 10 letters to different companies or organizations that own real estate in Lawrence County. They had 30 days to pay their taxes in full.”

Those letters went out last month to five different owners of 17 parcels with $59,000 in arrears. Representatives from eight of the 10 companies came into the treasurer’s office to pay taxes of $26,000.

The two that did not respond to Anderson’s letters were Deutsche Bank of New York that has rental property in Lawrence County with $3,630.69 in back taxes and Biomass for 49.02 acres in South Point with $30,171.05 in taxes owed for the past three years.

“With Deutsche Bank, I would assume it didn’t get to the correct person,” Anderson said. “That is the last thing they would want, to stay in receivership.”

The prosecutor will try again to contact Deutsche Bank before filing for the receivership.

“If we don’t receive the funds soon, I will petition the court,” he said.

As far as Biomass Anderson said that acreage could go on the sheriff’s auction block in the next 30 to 60 days if the taxes are not paid.

There are three segments of acreage owned by Biomass that are contiguous to The Point industrial park totaling approximately 77 acres. Taxes are delinquent on all parcels; the amount owed on the other two segments totals $ 2,574.13 in taxes and penalties.

Although the Biomass acreage lies next The Point, Dr. Bill Dingus, Lawrence Economic Development Corporation executive director, said he did not know if the LEDC would bid on the property if it went to a sheriff’s sale.

“I would have to discuss that with my board,” Dingus said. “Definitely, we would be extremely interested in who was in charge of that parcel. That parcel should be providing jobs for the county and Tri-State.”

Last week Anderson’s office sent out letters to a second list of 10 companies delinquent totally $105,000 in back taxes and penalties.

“We are taking a more aggressive stance on collecting taxes,” Anderson said. “It is just fairness. If real estate taxes are not being paid, it has a serious impact on the school districts … and the county general fund. And for other large companies to not pay their taxes, it is not fair. They need to pay their portion just like any other taxpayer.”