There are property eyesores all across St. John the Baptist Parish.

Parish leaders told L’OBSERVATEUR last year more than 1,000 properties had defaulted to parish control because property owners failed to pay taxes on them.

At the time, St. John Parish Assessor Whitney Joseph Jr. said there needs to be a process to sell the properties and put them back on the market or commerce, thereby taking responsibility away from the Parish.

“It’s a burden on tax payers,” Joseph said. “Those dollars could be used for something else.”

Hopefully, for the benefit of our community, there is now a plan in place reintroducing these properties to commerce via the hands of owners willing to do something with them.

Following a request for help from Parish Administration in 2015, St. John the Baptist Parish District Attorney Bridget Dinvaut said her office agreed to administer a program handling the disposition of adjudicated properties, with a goal to turn the program back over to Parish Administration by the end of next year.

Dinvaut said the effort proved successful, showing real action Feb. 18 and March 2, the dates of the first two sales of previously delinquent properties.

Dinvaut and Keith Green Jr., civil division chief, sat down with L’OBSERVATEUR this week, further lauding the program, which has now produced 11 property sales through online auctions ranging in closes at $3,360 to $22,327.40. Both are confident these sales are just the beginning.

A property eyesore taken under the wing of a tax-paying owner committed to improving the location, thus increasing surrounding property values and potentially eliminating structure threats from curious children, serves as an ultimate win-win for all in the community.

Anyone with questions regarding the process or online auction administrator Civic Source can contact Darryl Isom with the D.A.’s office at 985-652-9797.