Rossville officials say they are preparing to auction properties on which a total of $15,000 in back taxes and other fees are owed.

The sheriff’s auction is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 2, at 10 a.m. on the steps of the Walker County Courthouse in LaFayette, said Sherry Foster, clerk for the city of Rossville. The auction is part of an ongoing crackdown on delinquent property taxes, she said.

“We’re going to continue to do sales so people will continue to pay their taxes,” she said.

As of the end of July, the city listed about 20 pieces of property for auction, but the num-ber auctioned could change, Foster said. Property owners have until the day of the sale to pay the taxes and to prevent the city from seizing and selling the properties.

Although back taxes are owed for several more properties, the city has targeted proper-ties with taxes delinquent for two or more years for this sale, she said.

Foster said she estimates the delinquent taxes, title search costs and other fees total about $15,000 so far, and those numbers could increase.

Appalachian Mountain Services will handle the sales, she said.

Foster anticipates most affected property owners will catch up their taxes before the auction, she said.

The city will begin advertising the sale soon, she said.

The city last auctioned properties with delinquent taxes Oct. 2, 2001. Ten properties, in-cluding one house, were auctioned then and brought in $36,902 of the nearly $60,532 in back taxes owed.

Officials said taxes on some properties sold in the 2001 auction had not been paid in 10 years, with many about four years behind.

Following the 2001 auction, Walker County Tax Commissioner Carolyn Walker said money from the sales would be applied immediately to city and county taxes, with any extra put in escrow