2/16/11 - The Hamburg Township will be repaying more than $60,000 it had received from the county for its delinquent property tax. Every March, Livingston County pays all of the delinquent personal property taxes owed to the township. The county then assumes responsibility for collecting those taxes, but if they cannot be collected within three years the property is put up for sale. The proceeds from the sale typically pay off the taxes. Last year, the township received in excess of $500,000 to cover the delinquent taxes, but must due to the poor housing market the county was unable to make up this amount from the tax sale. The township must now repay $60,000 to the county. Treasurer Al Carlson told the board that this is the first time on record that the tax sale has failed to repay the county for the delinquent taxes. A special fund had been set aside in anticipation of this possibility, and Supervisor Pat Hohl says money will continue to be added to this fund for future years. He also says that the township will be exploring the possibility of implementing its own tax collection system if the county decides to end that service. The vast majority of the amount owed by the township is due to the abandoned Hoskins steel plant, which has been delinquent since 2002. (TD)