Lawrence County’s first ever tax lien sale may not have blown anybody away with its numbers but it is a step in the right direction — and just may send a message to property owners who don’t pay their taxes.

The sale conducted Monday only generated about $10,000 initially but that number should grow by ten times that figure by the end of the week.

As one prospective buyer said, this entire scenario is a win for about everyone involved.

It is a win for the county because it generates some much-needed revenue.

It is a win for the school districts because they get the lion’s share of that revenue collected.

It is a win for the person making the purchase because they can collect a healthy interest on it for years and then foreclose if necessary.

Perhaps the only person who doesn’t win is the property owner. But, you know what? They have no one to blame but themselves.

The property liens that were on the block this time were not on properties that were a little behind or missed a payment.

Not even close.

These properties were all significantly delinquent and the property owner had been given numerous opportunities to correct the problem.

For whatever reason, these individuals have chosen not to honor their responsibilities.

We are happy to see Stephen Dale Burcham taking a hard approach to this and taking advantage of the two-year-old law that allows this to happen.

With another sale scheduled for later this year, we know the first won’t be the last but maybe it will serve as a wake up call.