County Treasurer Robbie Salas explained the proposed local legislation and companion resolution to bring Harford County into conformity with recent state changes to the tax-sale process.

Salas said the state will cap redemption interest at 10 percent; the county currently sets the rate at 12 percent, so local legislation and a resolution will align the county with the state cap. He also proposed reducing the county’s advertising from six newspaper notices to the four required by state law and using the modest savings to send certified letters directly to property owners. Salas described an increase in the homeowner-occupied de minimis threshold — the state requires the county not to sell liens on homeowner-occupied properties with arrears below $1,000 — and said the change responds to concerns about disproportionate consequences for very small delinquencies.

Salas gave operational reasons for moving the tax sale to the first Wednesday of the month, saying that change would ease a year-end workflow crunch that has become worse since Juneteenth was adopted as a county holiday and billing deadlines shifted. He added the treasury office has fewer staff than a decade ago and the timing change will help the office manage multiple year‑end tasks.

During Q&A Salas said in the most recent full cycle about 346 properties were taken to sale and 333 tax liens were sold, and clarified that purchasers buy tax liens — not property keys — and receive interest and allowable legal fees on redemption. Councilman Bennett pointed to the fiscal-impact note and noted that limiting interest to 10 percent would reduce investor returns and the estimated beneficiary receipts by about $8,500; Salas said that reduction primarily affects investors and would not materially reduce county revenue unless investor participation fell.

Salas estimated advertising costs for the six ads at roughly $24,000 and said eliminating the two preliminary, lower-value notices would save a few thousand dollars while retaining the four detailed ads required by state law. No members of the public signed up to comment, and the public hearing concluded; the council president said the measures will be taken up at the next meeting.