AN ACT to amend and reenact §11A-2-13 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; and to amend and reenact §11A-3-2 and §11A-3-13 of said code, all relating to delinquent property taxes; and increasing certain fees charged to collect the taxes.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That

§11A-2-13. Publication and posting of delinquent tax lists.

A copy of each of the delinquent lists shall be posted at the front door of the courthouse of the county at least two weeks before the session of the county commission at which they are to be presented for examination. At the same time a copy of each list shall be published as a Class I-O legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of article three, chapter fifty-nine of this code, and the publication area for such publication shall be the county. Only the aggregate amount of the taxes owed by each person need be published. To cover the costs of preparing, publishing and posting the delinquent lists, a charge of twenty dollars shall be added to the taxes and interest already due on each item listed.
Any person whose taxes were delinquent on May first may have his name removed from the delinquent lists prior to the time the same is delivered to the newspapers for publication by paying to the sheriff the full amount of the taxes and costs owed by such person at the date of such redemption. The sheriff shall collect a charge of only three dollars if redemption is made before the list is delivered for publication. Costs collected by the sheriff hereunder which are not expended for publication shall be paid into the general county fund.

ARTICLE 3. SALE OF TAX LIENS AND NONENTERED, ESCHEATED AND WASTE AND UNAPPROPRIATED LANDS.

§11A-3-2. Second publication of list of delinquent real estate; notice.

(a) On or before the tenth day of September of each year, the sheriff shall prepare a second list of delinquent lands, which shall include all real estate in his or her county remaining delinquent as of the first day of September, together with a notice of sale, in form or effect as follows:
Notice is hereby given that tax liens for the following described tracts or lots of land or undivided interests therein in the County of ________________ which are delinquent for the nonpayment of taxes for the year (or years) 20____, will be offered for sale by the undersigned sheriff (or collector) at public auction at the front door of the courthouse of the county, between the hours of nine in the morning and four in the afternoon, on the _____ day of _________________, 20____.
Tax liens on each unredeemed tract or lot, or each unredeemed part thereof or undivided interest therein, will be sold at public auction to the highest bidder in an amount which shall not be less than the taxes, interest and charges which shall be due thereon to the date of sale, as set forth in the following table:

Name of person charged with taxes	Quantity of land	Local description	Total amount of taxes, interest and charges due to date of sale

Any of the aforesaid tracts or lots, or part thereof or an undivided interest therein, may be redeemed by the payment to the undersigned sheriff (or collector) before sale, of the total amount of taxes, interest and charges due thereon up to the date of redemption. Payment received within fourteen business days prior to the date of sale must be paid by cashier check, money order, certified check or United States currency.
Given under my hand this _____________ day of
_____________________, 20_____.

__________________________ Sheriff (or collector).

The sheriff shall publish the list and notice prior to the sale date fixed in the notice as a Class III-0 legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of article three, chapter fifty-nine of this code, and the publication area for such publication shall be the county.
(b) In addition to such publication, no less than thirty days prior to the sale, the sheriff shall send a notice of the delinquency and the date of sale by certified mail: (1) To the last known address of each person listed in the land books whose taxes are delinquent; (2) to each person having a lien on real property upon which the taxes are due as disclosed by a statement filed with the sheriff pursuant to the provisions of section three of this article; (3) to each other person with an interest in the property or with a fiduciary relationship to a person with an interest in the property who has in writing delivered to the sheriff on a form prescribed by the tax commissioner a request for such notice of delinquency; and (4) in the case of property which includes a mineral interest but does not include an interest in the surface other than an interest for the purpose of developing the minerals, to each person who has in writing delivered to the sheriff, on a form prescribed by the tax commissioner, a request for such notice which identifies the person as an owner of an interest in the surface of real property that is included in the boundaries of such property: Provided, That in a case where one owner owns more than one parcel of real property upon which taxes are delinquent, the sheriff may, at his or her option, mail separate notices to the owner and each lienholder for each parcel or may prepare and mail to the owner and each lienholder a single notice which pertains to all such delinquent parcels. If the sheriff elects to mail only one notice, that notice shall set forth a legally sufficient description of all parcels of property on which taxes are delinquent. In no event shall failure to receive the mailed notice by the landowner or lienholder affect the validity of the title of the property conveyed if it is conveyed pursuant to section twenty-seven or fifty-nine of this article.
(c) (1) To cover the cost of preparing and publishing the second delinquent list, a charge of twenty five dollars shall be added to the taxes, interest and charges already due on each item and all such charges shall be stated in the list as a part of the total amount due.
(2) To cover the cost of preparing and mailing notice to the landowner, lienholder or any other person entitled thereto pursuant to this section, a charge of ten dollars per addressee shall be added to the taxes, interest and charges already due on each item and all such charges shall be stated in the list as a part of the total amount due.
(d) Any person whose taxes were delinquent on the first day of September may have his or her name removed from the delinquent list prior to the time the same is delivered to the newspapers for publication by paying to the sheriff the full amount of taxes and costs owed by the person at the date of such redemption. In such case, the sheriff shall include but three dollars of the costs provided in this section in making such redemption. Costs collected by the sheriff hereunder which are not expended for publication and mailing shall be paid into the general county fund.
§11A-3-13. Publication by sheriff of sales list.
Within one month after completion of the sale, the sheriff shall prepare and publish a list of all the sales and certifications made by him or her, in form or effect as follows, which list shall be published as a Class II-0 legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of article three, chapter fifty- nine of this code, and the publication area for such publication shall be the county.
List of tax liens on real estate sold in the county of ____________________________________________, in the month (or months) of _____________________________, 20____ , for nonpayment of taxes thereon for the year (or years) 20____, and purchased by individuals or certified to the auditor of the State of West Virginia:

Name of person charged with taxes	Local descrip- tion of lands	Quantity of land charged	Quantity of land for which tax lien is sold	Name of purchaser	Whole amount paid by purchaser

The owner of any real estate listed above, or any other person entitled to pay the taxes thereon, may, however, redeem such real estate as provided by law.
Given under my hand this _____________ day of ________________, 20____.
__________________________________
Sheriff
To cover the costs of preparing and publishing such list, a charge of fifteen shall be added to the taxes, interest and charges already due on each item listed.