Arkansas land commissioner visits community

Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands John Thurston presented a check representing 2012's turnback funds to Mississippi County officials at the Courthouse in Blytheville on Wednesday.

These funds stem from the redemption and sale of tax delinquent properties certified to the commissioner of state lands office.

The commissioner's tax delinquent real estate sale for Mississippi County is scheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, April 23, at the courthouse in Osceola. Owners of delinquent property are encouraged to redeem their property before it is offered at sale.

First, they must contact Thurston's office to request the proper paperwork, and then pay all delinquent taxes, penalties and interest due. Prospective buyers may also contact his office for more information on buying tax delinquent land, or visit their website at www.cosl.org.

"Once properties are redeemed by the original owner or sold at public auction, the funds collected are forwarded to the county, where the property is located, one year after the collection date," Thurston said.

Thurston and his office work diligently to collect this important source of revenue on delinquent parcels.

"The good news is that most of the revenue we collect is through the redemption of delinquent parcels by the original owner," Thurston said. "Property taxes play a vital role in the stability of county revenues. Public schools and county services depend on real estate tax dollars to aid in funding their programs. Without these funds our communities may miss out on essential programs and growth."

The commissioner's office works with county officials in all 75 counties to ensure collection of property taxes.

"Our county officials are the boots on the ground workers in this process. We appreciate all that they do and we would not have collected these turnback amounts without working hand in hand with them on a daily basis," said Thurston.

Mississippi County received $251,178.47 in combined turnback funds during 2012. In total, Arkansas counties received $21 million from delinquent tax collections last year.

During his visit, Thurston also presented Mississippi County with a reproduction of the original general land office plat map for Township 15 North, Range 11 East. This plat is of the township that contains the present day county seat and courthouse. The original plat maps were drawn from the field notes of the survey of the Louisiana Purchase which began in the fall of 1815 and continued until the mid-1850s. The notes at the bottom describe the parcel of land, when it was surveyed, by whom and the date when the plat was certified. The plat given is dated 1848. Thurston also presented the similar copy containing Osceola.

The commissioner of state lands office, located in the State Capitol building, was renovated in late 2012 to preserve and showcase the historic land office records the office holds in trust. Thurston said he was proud to be able to present the plat to Mississippi County on behalf of his office for the citizens of the county.

"It is my desire that our office continues to do its part in preserving the past so that our children and grandchildren can learn about Arkansas's land history," he said.

Anyone interested in learning more about the historic documents of the land office can visit www.cosl.org.

sharris@blythevillecourier.com