LAURINBURG — Scotland County and the city of Laurinburg each published the annual lists of unpaid taxes this week, and Mayor Matthew Block’s name appears several times — both directly and indirectly.
Under the city of Laurinburg’s list of tax liens for 2018, Block’s name appears three times, the first for an unpaid property tax totaling $92.52; the second for $1,261.32; and the third for $1,096.84.
However, the mayor is indirectly connected to a pair of unpaid property taxes in his ex-wife’s name, which he has previously claimed were still tied up in divorce proceedings. Those properties have city taxes of $100.32 and $2,213.24.
According to Diana Chavis, tax collector for the city of Laurinburg, “if the taxes remain unpaid after (the) advertisement is completed, the lien will be foreclosed … and the property sold.”
The city’s unpaid property tax list was published in The Laurinburg Exchange on Thursday.
For Scotland County, which published its unpaid property tax list on Wednesday, Block’s name appears four times — and again, he is also connected with two additional properties in his ex-wife’s name where taxes have not been paid for 2018.
The properties under the mayor’s name shows taxes due of $2,893.07; $3,318.67; $294.40; and 1,172.39. The pair of properties under his ex-wife’s name show taxes due of 5,374.26 and $314.58.
According to Marty Pate, tax collector for the county, if the taxes remain unpaid, the county has a number of options available — including garnishment of wages, attaching to bank accounts, foreclosure and sale of the property.
All told, Block is singularly responsible for $2,450.68 in unpaid city property taxes and $7,678.53 in unpaid county property taxes. The total taxes due under Block’s ex-wife’s name are $2,313.56 in the city and $5,688.84.
W. Curt Vincent can be reached at 910-506-3023 or cvincent@laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com.
