Owners of real estate are required to pay property taxes. Because these taxes fund various services provided by the government-services such as libraries, parks, road maintenance, and garbage collection-they are an important component of a city's and a county's budget. However, the list of Delinquent Taxes prepared by County Treasurer Tori MacLean DesRosier and submitted in June to the Board of County Commissioners was 92 pages long, with some properties delinquent since 1999.

This information came to light after a civic group in Harlem expressed concern about uncared for and dilapidated p...