Chelan County to surplus 35 properties; land valued at $4.7 million

WENATCHEE – Chelan County Commissioners have surplused 35 county-owned properties that have a combined value of more than $4.7 million.
On Monday, Oct. 31 commissioners passed a resolution, declaring the properties as surplus and unnecessary for county purposes. The properties, located throughout the county, range from 0.01 acres to 20 acres. They are valued at anywhere from $100 to $3.2 million.
A list of the properties and their values is on the county’s website at https://www.co.chelan.wa.us/files/board-of-commissioners/documents/Resolution%202022-107.pdf.
“Declaring the properties as surplus is the result of a four-year effort that first began with identifying those properties owned by the county that are suitable for sale,” Commissioner Kevin Overbay said. “More than 80 percent of property in Chelan County is owned by a government entity. This effort will put county-owned properties into private ownership, getting that land back on the tax rolls.”
A dozen of the surplus properties will be sold in an online auction scheduled for Dec. 12-14. The auction is organized by the Chelan County Treasurer’s Office. As the auction date gets closer, details will be available online at www.co.chelan.wa.us/treasurer. Any questions about the auction, which will be held the week after the Treasurer’s annual Tax Judgement Sale, should be directed to the Treasurer’s Office.
The remaining properties have been identified as the following:
• Seven properties with little value and of minor acreage will be transferred to an identified adjacent owner.
• 10 properties will be offered to adjacent owners at market value, or to the highest bidder among the adjacent  owners, using a sealed-bid process.
• Six properties will be transferred to local municipalities.
Most of the money raised by the auction or bidding process will go into the county’s general fund. The sale of properties  currently owned by Chelan County Public Works will be returned to the road fund.
“By adding more parcels to the county tax rolls, the property tax burden is then spread out among the additional parcel owners,” Overbay said. “Declaring these lands surplus is a win-win for the county’s economy and our taxpayers.”
The surplus project is a joint effort among several county departments, including the Commissioners’, Prosecutor’s, Treasurer’s, and Assessor’s offices, as well as the Public Works and Community Development departments. About 185 county-owned properties were originally reviewed to determine if they were needed to fulfill any county duties or purposes.
Approximately 50 parcels were identified as sellable, with 35 of those properties declared surplus on Monday. The remaining parcels require some work to get them ready for surplus, such as boundary line adjustments and parcel number assignments. Those properties eventually may be declared surplus and sold at a future date in a second auction.
Full details of the upcoming auction will be available via the Treasurer’s website. Commissioners will be working with the Prosecutor’s Office to contact those property owners who are adjacent to the properties identified for the sealed-bidding process.