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Unpaid taxes shoot to 3rd straight record

Bankrupt Hillsboro hospital accounts for bulk of increase

Staff writer

Spurred by mounting debt at bankrupt Hillsboro Community Hospital, delinquent taxes in Marion County have swelled to record levels for a third consecutive year.

This week’s public notice of unpaid property taxes, officially printed in the Marion County Record, lists 616 properties as owing more than two-thirds of a million dollars — $683,066.93, up 31.0% from last year.

Two communities have disproportionately large rates of delinquency.

Peabody, with just 9.5% of the county’s population, has 16.9% of its delinquencies. Florence, with just 3.7% of the population, has 14.9% of the delinquencies.

Marion, in comparison, has 15.4% of the county’s population and 15.3% of its delinquencies.

Hillsboro, with 24.2% of population, has only 8.4% of delinquencies — but they tend to be whoppers.

Hillsboro’s Public Building Commission, listed as owner of Hillsboro Community Hospital at 101 Industrial Rd.,

accounts for almost all of the increased delinquencies — $213,533.84, or 31.3% of the total taxes due.

A year ago, the hospital property had failed to pay about half that amount — $116,942.

Other Hillsboro projects also top this year’s list of delinquencies.

No. 2 is Oakwood Manor apartments at 401 N. Nash St., which owes $13,346.60.

No. 5 is Birchwood Apartments at 906 E. D St., which owes $7,065.62.

According to records in the Kansas secretary of state’s office, both are owned or controlled through a series of interrelated partnerships by James and Jason Maddox of Clarktown, Missouri.

The Maddoxes are associated with nearly 200 entities doing business mainly in housing for low-income or senior citizens.

American Nitrogen Rejection, a little-known firm that provides services related to eliminating non-combustible gases from natural gas wells and other sources, is No. 3 on the list, owing $8,391.71.

Headquartered at 1500 Sandstone Rd. in Marion’s industrial park, the business is owned primarily by Michael Sigel, who resides at Marion County Lake.

C Bar S Cattle Co., owner of Wildcat Creek Ranch at 1858 80th Rd. near Peabody, is No. 4 on the list, owing $7,714.70.

Primary owners include Jeff Smith of Hutchinson, who has a wide array of sometimes controversial interests involving horses.

No. 6 is Panda Properties Management, owner of the former Quick Flick Videos and Radio Shack building at 101 S. Main St. in Hillsboro, along the Panda Kitchen restaurant behind those storefronts on W. Grand Ave.

Panda, primarily owned by Fei Yang of Hesston, owes $5,748.84.

Others in the Top 10 for delinquency are:

  • O&J of Kansas, owner of the former Food Mart convenience store property at 102 W. 9th St. in Peabody. O&J’s registration as a state business entity has lapsed, but it most recently was listed as being owned primarily by Hisham Mubaidin of Land o’ Lakes, Florida. O&J owes $4,843.66.
  • Dirksen Construction Inc., 202 W. Main St., Goessel, which owes $4,550.99. The business is owned by Ronald and Patricia Dirksen, who also owe $1,572.86 on property at 202 N. Jefferson St. in Hillsboro.
  • The former Olde Towne Restaurant location at 126 N. Main St., Hillsboro, which owes $4,533.98. It is owned by GHP Systems LLC, which is listed as being primarily owned by Gary Reiman of McPherson.
  • Rocky and Shirley Jo Hett, who owe $4,281.02 on their property at 208 Hett Hollow, just west of Marion Country Club. Individually or jointly, the Hetts also owe an additional $5,421.96 on 11 other mainly rural properties.

The second 10 in terms of amounts delinquent are:

11. Rexana Siebert

00. 1667 190th Rd. $4,250.63

12. Bret James and Pamela Sue Soyez

00. 158 130th Rd. 3,599.18

13. Victor L. Buckner

00. 101 Ashley Dr., Marion . 3,492.98

14. Joe Base

00. 220 E. Main. Goessel . 3,418.04

15. Joseph D. and Ethel J. Pickett

00. 301 E. Main. Marion . 3,416.70

16. Brent A. and Brenda L. Barkman

00. 410 Brairwood La., Hillsboro . 3,360.23

17. Brenda L. Barkman Living Trust

00. 413 Brairwood La., Hillsboro . 3,318.02

18. Roger and Laura Williams

00. 2274 Highway 50 3,102.72

19. Chisholm Trail Outfitters

00. 805 Western Hts., Hillsboro 3,009.76

20. Delora Alvaraz Etvir

00.101 S. Barry, Lost Springs 2,968.39

In addition to the Lost Springs property, which is home to Al’s Café, and the Panda Kitchen and Old Town properties in Hillsboro, other restaurants also appear on the list.

Among them are Wagon Wheel Express, La Hacienda (El Tiguere), and the defunct Cindy’s Family Café and MacGregor’s in Marion.

Other businesses on the list include Tatge Manufacturing in Ramona, Peabody Grocery and Peabody Farm Service in Peabody, and a building, owned by Bruce and Belinda Skiles, that houses Fay Family Chiropractic in Marion.

The Housing Authority of Goessel also has unpaid property taxes.

Back on the list this year was an oddity from last year: a farmhouse at 1067 Falcon Rd., on which $1,954.51 is owed.

The owner is listed as “Ott-Compassion Ministries International, care of Larry Gene Ott, overseer.”

Taxpayers are charged interest on delinquent taxes — 10% per year on the first $5,000 and 15% per year on larger amounts.

They also have to reimburse the county for their share of the cost of publishing the county’s public notice, which will run for two more weeks.

If taxed aren’t paid after three years, the property can be seized by the county and sold, with the current occupants evicted.

Last modified Aug. 16, 2019

 

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