City recently filed fifth mass foreclosure in 10 years
The city of Henderson is initiating its fifth mass foreclosure in the past ten years as part of an effort to clean up abandoned and dilapidated houses as well as return neglected lots to productive use.
The city filed a complaint in Henderson Circuit Court for the enforcement of liens for delinquent land taxes and nuisance liens against real estate in the city, according to a public notice sent out by the city and posted to this newspaper’s website on Feb. 28 and running in the March 1 e-newsletter that goes to subscribers. The notice will run again in the March 8 e-newsletter. (The properties in question are listed at the end of the article.)
According to a city release on Wednesday, the current filing includes 20 properties involving a combination of delinquent property taxes, code enforcement liens, or both. There are numerous reason why the properties end up in this predicament, including an owner being unable to maintain them, an owner who moves away or heirs having no interest in their inheritance, said the release.
Collectively, the properties are encumbered by approximately $291,500 in liens, largely arising from code enforcement actions and the demolition of condemned structures, along with approximately $14,800 in delinquent property taxes, for a combined total exceeding $306,000 sought through the foreclosure process, said the release.
The upcoming action contains 16 vacant lots and 4 parcels with houses, the release said.
People connected to the properties do have a chance to keep the property in good standing by filing an answer to the suit in the office of the circuit court clerk on or before April 13, according to the public notice.
City Attorney Dawn Kelsey said that people connected to the property can reach out to the city attorney’s office to get started or file paperwork with the circuit court clerk. There is the option of setting up a payment plan, she said, though the back taxes and/or liens would need to be paid off in 12 months.
If no one contacts the city or files with the circuit court clerk, the property will be a part of the master commissioner’s sale, she said.
Master Commissioner Allison Rust said it will probably be months, maybe late summer, before any of the properties included in this most recent mass foreclosure are included in a master commissioner’s sale, which occur on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month in the courtroom of the Old Courthouse.
Five at a time are chosen and are filed in circuit court seeking a summary judgment or default judgment, Rust said. Once summary judgment or default judgment is granted by the circuit court judge, then the properties are added to a master commissioner’s sale, Rust said.
The city’s last mass foreclosure was filed in September 2023 and the first five properties of that were included in a February 2024 master commissioner’s sale, Rust said.
The goal of mass foreclosure is to recoup a portion of the public costs incurred by maintaining unsafe or abandoned properties, and to spur redevelopment that returns those properties to productive use and back onto the tax rolls, said the city’s release. Kelsey added that a mass foreclosure allows the properties to get “back into people’s hands” to either develop the property or build a home.
Properties a part of the master commissioner’s public sale are sold with clear title, said the release. That means the new owner owes “zero” from the previous owner’s liens or back taxes, Kelsey said.
Rust said the sale money first goes to master commissioner fees and expenses, then it goes to paying any owed taxes, next the liens are paid off, and finally, the remaining money—if there is any left—goes to the homeowner, or if he or she is deceased, his or her heirs.
Rust said she can hold the money for two years waiting for someone to claim it. If no homeowner or heirs are found, the money goes to the state auditor’s office, where it will be held for property owners or heirs, she said.
Pursuing the mass foreclosures allows the city to clean up different properties 20 at a time instead of doing it one at a time, which according to Mayor Brad Staton helps eliminate blight, improve neighborhood safety and allow properties to be used.
“This effort helps create additional opportunities for infill development and makes more lots available for affordable housing, strengthening neighborhoods throughout Henderson,” Staton said in a prepared statement.
Pursuing mass foreclosures has also helped the work of the Habitat For Humanity of Henderson. Habitat Chief Operating Officer Matt Reynolds said his organization has bought 14 properties that had been a part of past mass foreclosures since about 2019. One of them was subdivided into two properties, giving Habitat a total of 15 properties that have come from the mass foreclosure process, he said.
Of those, 10 have new homes on them now with families living inside them, he said.
Being able to buy these properties after they’ve gone through the litigation process and now have a clean title has been a Godsend for the organization, he said. Often Habitat pursues individual properties that have legal obstacles that are difficult for Habitat to overcome, Reynolds said.
“It takes some time,” he said.
When new residences are constructed on the properties, tax dollars that often have not been paid are collected from property taxes, and the new homes are assessed much higher than what the dilapidated or abandoned homes had been.
According to Reynolds, the combined appraised value of the Habitat homes that have been built on properties acquired in a master commissioner’s sale plus those that will be constructed equals $2.02 million. He said the taxable value of those properties before the mass foreclosures was $70,000.
Staton also mentioned the work Habitat has done with the results of the master commissioner’s sales, as well as work from a developer that contains numerous condominiums. The development is at 1834 Old Madisonville Road.
“This process has proven to be an effective tool not only for recovering public costs, but for revitalizing neighborhoods and expanding safe, quality housing options throughout our community,” Staton said.
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Below is the list of the properties contained in the complaint that was recently filed in Henderson Circuit Court.
Count I:
Address: 113 Thompson Street
Map Code: 2-17-7-17
Taxpayer: Estate of Lois Duckworth
City Tax Principal Owed: $2,199.56
Nuisance Principle Owed: $16,433.80
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
Lois Duckworth
Unknown spouse, heirs and devisees of Lois Duckworth
Estate of Lois Duckworth
RTLF KY, LLC
Steven Duckworth
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
Count II:
Address: 124 Letcher Street
Map Code: 2-18-2-22
Taxpayer: Estate of Carolyn J. Sutton
City Tax Principal Owed: $15.58
Nuisance Principle Owed: $9,444.53
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
Carolyn J. Sutton
Unknown spouse, heirs and devisees of Carolyn J. Sutton
Estate of Carolyn J. Sutton
Donald E. Sutton
Unknown spouse, heirs and devisees of Donald E. Sutton
Carrie Harmon
Unknown spouse, heirs and devisees of Carrie Harmon
Donald E. Sutton, Jr.
Unknown spouse, heirs and devisees of Donald E. Sutton, Jr.
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
Count III:
Address: 828 Powell Street
Map Code: 2-15-4-27
Taxpayer: Larry M. Green Sr.
City Tax Principal Owed: $32.00
Nuisance Principle Owed: $23,470.53
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
Larry M. Green Sr.
Unknown spouse of Larry M. Green Sr.
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
Count IV:
Address: 1418 Helm Street
Map Code: 2-18-6-9
Taxpayer: Estate of Martha Duncan
City Tax Principal Owed: $1,949.07
Nuisance Principle Owed: $27,353.07
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
Estate of Martha Duncan
Gladys Lou Burris
Estate of Gladys Lou Burris
Unknown spouse, heirs, and devisees of Gladys Lou Burris
Roy Burris
Unknown Spouse, Heirs and Devisees of Roy Burris
Brenda Banks
Unknown Spouse, Heirs and Devisees of Brenda Banks
Martha Reeves
Unknown Spouse, Heirs and Devisees of Martha Reeves
William Trainer
Unknown Spouse, Heirs and Devisees of William Trainer
Capital One Bank (USA), NA
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
Count V:
Address: 1214 Helm Street
Map Code: 2-19-4-33
Taxpayer: James Blackman
City Tax Principal Owed: $172.76
Nuisance Principle Owed: $48,767.60
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
James Blackman
Unknown spouse, heirs and devisees of James Blackman
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
Count VI:
Address: 727 Sixth Street
Map Code: 3-8-6-16
Taxpayer: The Cole Group, LLC
City Tax Principal Owed: $15.58
Nuisance Principle Owed: $11,685.28
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
The Cole Group, LLC a/k/a Cole Group, LLC
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
Count VII:
Address: 1601 Washington Street
Map Code: 2-25-8-12
Taxpayer: Jerel R. Briggs
City Tax Principal Owed: $571.37
Nuisance Principle Owed: $17,383.75
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
Jerel R. Briggs
Unknown spouse, heirs and devisees of Jerel R. Briggs
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
Count VIII:
Address: 115 Letcher Street
Map Code: 2-18-1-39
Taxpayer: Michael Joseph James
City Tax Principal Owed: $77.31
Nuisance Principle Owed: $14,816.41
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
Michael Joseph James
Unknown Spouse, heirs, and devisees of Michael Joseph James
Michael Joseph James d/b/a All Day Roofing
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
Count IX:
Address: 327 S. Alvasia Street
Map Code: 2-9-2-5
Taxpayer: Kenya Robards & Derrick Robards
City Tax Principal Owed: $176.58
Nuisance Principle Owed: $17,133.77
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
Kenya Robards
Unknown Spouse of Kenya Robards
Derrick Robards
Unknown Spouse of Derrick Robards
Cashland Financial Services, Inc.
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
Count X:
Address: 329-335 N. Adams Street
Map Code: 3-1-2-3
Taxpayer: Josh Melton and Dorothy Melton
City Tax Principal Owed: $2,218.38
Nuisance Principle Owed: $19,477.01
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
Charles O. Kloke, Jr.
Cheryl A. Kloke
Josh Melton
Dorothy Melton
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
Count XI:
Address: 918 Center Street
Map Code: 2-16-4-24
Taxpayer: Estate of Randy Keach
City Tax Principal Owed: $858.50
Nuisance Principle Owed: $23,133.17
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
Randy Keach
Unknown spouse, heirs, and devisees of Randy Keach
Estate of Randy Keach
American General Financial Services, Inc.
Midland Funding, LLC
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
Count XII:
Address: 1429 Helm St
Map Code: 2-18-7-3
Taxpayer: Theodore T. Roberts
City Tax Principal Owed: $213.38
Nuisance Principle Owed: $3,278.91
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
Theodore T. Roberts
Unknown spouse, heirs, and devisees of Theodore T. Roberts
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
Count XIII:
Address: 452 S Adams Ln
Map Code: 2-9-4-10
Taxpayer: Estate of Leslie Brown
City Tax Principal Owed: $3,223.23
Nuisance Principle Owed: $1,747.23
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
Leslie Brown
Unknown spouse, heirs and devisees of Leslie Brown
Estate of Leslie Brown
Rex Tax Liens, LLC
Doodah, LLC
Juniper, LLC
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
Count XIV:
Address: 3086 Mimosa Drive
Map Code: 64D-10.2
Taxpayer: Michael Niswonger
City Tax Principal Owed: $408.26
Nuisance Principle Owed: $4,909.92
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
Michael Niswonger
Unknown Spouse, heirs and devisees of Michael Niswonger
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
Count XV:
Address: 1705 Washington Street
Map Code: 2-25-7-7
Taxpayer: Estate of Mary B. Wilke and the Estate of Jan Franklin
City Tax Principal Owed: $641.94
Nuisance Principle Owed: $10,147.24
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
Janice Franklin
Unknown Spouse, Heirs and Devisees of Janice Franklin
Estate of Janice Franklin
Mary Beatrice Wilke
Unknown Spouse, Heirs and Devisees of Mary Beatrice Wilke
Estate of Mary Beatrice Wilke
Nathan Obrien
Unknown Spouse, Heirs and Devisees of Nathan Obrien
Jill Thomas
Unknown Spouse, Heirs and Devisees of Jill Thomas
Sean Curry
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
Count XVI:
Address: 916 Pond Street
Map Code: 2-13-15-7
Taxpayer: Cynthia Powell
City Tax Principal Owed: $564.01
Nuisance Principle Owed: $27,096.38
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
Christopher A Gower
Unknown spouse, heirs and devisees of Christopher A. Gower
Carol L. Gower
Unknown spouse, heirs and devisees of Carol L. Gower
Cynthia Powell
Unknown Spouse, heirs and devisees of Cynthia Powell
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
Count XVII:
Address: 906 Harts Alley
Map Code: 2-16-3-19
Taxpayer: Estate of Gladys Lou Burris
City Tax Principal Owed: $00.00
Nuisance Principle Owed: $9,856.22
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
Gladys Lou Burris
Estate of Gladys Lou Burris
Unknown spouse, heirs, and devisees of Gladys Lou Burris
Roy Burris
Unknown Spouse, Heirs and Devisees of Roy Burris
Brenda Banks
Unknown Spouse, Heirs and Devisees of Brenda Banks
Martha Reeves
Unknown Spouse, Heirs and Devisees of Martha Reeves
William Trainer
Unknown Spouse, Heirs and Devisees of William Trainer
Capital One Bank (USA), NA
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
Count XVIII:
Address: 512 Letcher Street
Map Code: 2-22-8-17
Taxpayer: Estate of Dexter Ray Lewis, Sr
City Tax Principal Owed: $776.19
Nuisance Principle Owed: $00.00
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
Estate of Dexter Ray Lewis, Sr
Unknown spouse, heirs and devisees of Dexter Ray Lewis, Sr
Lisa Barron
Unknown spouse, heirs and devisees of Lisa Barron
Troy Lewis
Unknown spouse, heirs and devisees of Troy Lewis
Josh Lewis
Unknown spouse, heirs, and devisees of Josh Lewis
Unknown spouse, heirs and devisees of Dexter Ray Lewis, Jr.
Jimmy E. Pittman and Marie Pittman
Wachovia Bank National Association,
as trustee of the Security National Remic Trust 2004-P1
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
Count XIX:
Address: 1431 Helm Street
Map Code: 2-18-7-2
Taxpayer: Estate of Donald Roberts
City Tax Principal Owed: $123.77
Nuisance Principle Owed: $2,215.53
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
Donald Roberts a/k/a Donald C. Roberts
Unknown Spouse, Heirs and Devisees of Donald Roberts
Estate of Donald Roberts
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
Count XX:
Address: 1205 Loeb Street
Map Code: 2-21-9-6
Taxpayer: Lucy Ganno, et al
City Tax Principal Owed: $626.43
Nuisance Principle Owed: $1,150.23
Interested Parties: County of Henderson
Lucy Ganno
Unknown Spouse, Heirs and Devisees of Lucy Ganno
David Ganno
Unknown Spouse, Heirs and Devisees of David Ganno
Steven Ganno
Unknown Spouse, Heirs and Devisees of Steven Ganno
Sandra James
Unknown Spouse, Heirs and Devisees of Sandra James
Tax Brake KY LLC
All other unknown claimants, including but
not limited to, spouses, heirs, successors,
devisees and assigns of any of the above
defendants.
