After more than 30 years of existence the council is undertaking the process to deem a property as abandoned.
The council first came about in 1989 following local body amalgamation.
The council has put out an abandoned land public notice for a property at 2B Worsley St in Gore.
Under the Local Government (Rating) Act 2002, section 77, land is deemed as abandoned if the rates have not been paid for three years or more and the ratepayer for that land is either unknown; cannot be found after due inquiry and has no known agent in New Zealand; is deceased and has no personal representative or has given notice to the local authority that he or she intends to abandon or has abandoned the land.
The council said in a statement it used Debt Management Central (DMC) as its debt collection agency.
DMC, on behalf of the council, has sent letters to neighbours of the property, as well as put a notice in The Ensign to find further information on the owner, or for the owner’s family to potentially come forward.
The council said so far one person had made contact in regard to the letters sent and the advertisement. The public notice period runs out on Tuesday.
If, after following the above steps to try to locate the owner, no new information is found, then Gore District Council will head to the District Court, applying to have the land declared abandoned and seek approval for the council to then sell the land.
This is the first property within the Gore district that has undergone the abandoned land process.
The vacant land is about 252sq m.
