ROCKLAND, Maine — The number of liens placed on properties by the city for non-payment of taxes has dropped to an eight-year low.
Liens on 167 properties were being filed Monday by the city with the Knox County Registry of Deeds. This is down from 176 liens filed last year.
The numbers filed this year is the lowest since 2008 and 2009 when 166 were filed.
One of the largest liens filed was for Orchid LLC, which owns the former Rockland High School that later became the Lincoln Street Center. Orchid owes $24,000 in property taxes that were due in September 2015.
The total amount of properties owed from the 167 liens is $470,000.
If the property taxes on these properties are not paid within 18 months, they automatically become city owned. Generally, the city acquires a handful of properties each year when the liens expire and the automatic foreclosures occur.