September 3, 2025 • 11 mins
The Allen County Auditor joined Todd Walker to discuss the latest with the Land Bank plus the Allen County unclaimed funds portal and the upcoming Auditor's Sale.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yeah, well they're being Wednesday.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
At this time we focus on Allen County various departments
therein and today we welcome Allen County Auditor Rachel Gilroy.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Rachel, good morning, Good morning, Todd. Good to see you.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
And of course many times we talk about your work
with the Allen County Land Bank and that continues. I
don't know if you have any current things being demoed though,
do you that I drive around town and see.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
We just finished up at Blufton University.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
Oh wow, that project is just completing, and we go
out and start the old jail demolition in the next
thirty days, so there will be lots happening.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yeah, the old jail for maybe people that aren't familiar.
And I make sure I'm getting this right. The old
jail would be it's adjacent to the courthouse, but to
its west right.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
It is crime Victim Services used to be located there.
I think they might still have a sign out front,
so it's that facility that used to operate as the
jail into the nineties.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
So that space, so just kind of wait and see
what they need to do with it.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
Right during the courthouse renovation, when the commissioners get to
that portion of the county's plan. I'm sure we'll be
seeing some development in that area, gotcha.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
And to review the land bank the funding for that.
It's not like County General Fund or whatever talk about
these land banks and how they get funded.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Sure, none of this is County General Fund money. It
actually is completely separate from the county itself. And these
brownfield moneys. For example, that we're tearing down the old
jail with and that we tore down Hofellers and Macy's,
that's brownfield money that comes from a state grant bluffed
in University that was site revitalization and demolition money. And
(01:48):
actually we have another half million dollar site demo and
revitalization grant coming our way. So, any townships, villages out there,
if you have properties that you'd like us to add
to our potential list and start our initial work, now's
the time to get a hold of us and make
sure that we get it on the list and start
(02:09):
doing our initial survey of the property to see if
it's something that we can't attempt.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I was going to say, you don't just randomly pick
a place or you know, just kind of have to
have a process here, right, because I'm sure there have
been people that you had to turn down or because
you only have so much money.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
That's true, half a million.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
You would think that goes really far, but a lot
of times it doesn't. And these are set by the
state as far as prevailing wage jobs and things like that.
So I'm a little intricate when you get into it.
And of course we need all of our due diligence
around the property and that takes some time to get through.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Well, I think auditors sale you have coming up as
part of that. Some of these empty lots that resulted
from these.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Demos, none of them. Oh, that's just totally different.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
This is totally different too. So this goes back to
the county auditor here. So when properties have been up
for foreclosure and they didn't sell at sheriff's auction at
two different sales, then under revised code, they're forfeited to
the state of Ohio. So the state of Ohio technically
owns them, but under revised code, the auditor is the
(03:17):
agent for the state of Ohio. So somehow in this
crazy world, it becomes my job to get rid of
those properties.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
That you enough to do right, right, So state, let
me do this for you.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
So yeah, so November thirteenth, that's the day. We still
need the location and time to be finalized yet, but
that's coming. We have our auctioneer, Devin Dies, going to
do that for us.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
We'll have twenty.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
Nine properties up for auditors sale, so twenty two of
them are in the city of Lima, six are in
American Township, and one is in Bluffton.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
So we'll we'll gather our hopefully huge group of people.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
Last time, I think we have a couple hundred people
come out to this sale. So we'll gather everybody and
we'll go through the properties and I have to offer
them for sale twice. So the first time it'll be
the value of the taxes and fees associated with the property.
For example, if it's a city alignment property, it might
have let's say eighteen thousand dollars in assessments.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
And delinquency attached to it.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
We would offer it for sale starting at eighteen thousand,
but if there are no bidders, we close that sale
and then offer it up again immediately, starting at ten
bucks or one hundred bucks, and then go from there.
So many of these properties do have structures on them.
It doesn't mean they're you know, saveable.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
They could be.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
It's it's you know, buyer beware when you buy these properties.
But you know you could buy a property for a
dollar or ten bucks and see what you can do
with it.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Then that's interesting saying.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
So at the front end, you're trying to recoup the
revenue that the state or the city or the county
or whatever entity missed out on because the owner didn't
pay us taxes or fees or any of that. And
short of that, you'll take whatever the hell you can get.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
We'll take whatever we can get.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
You're exactly right, just to clear our books off and
then we'll start.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
All over again.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
That's one of the funny things about an auction.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Sometime, you know, the auctioneer will start out, hey, let's
get five hundred and give me five, and he's.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Like, all right, let's start it. One hundred, give me okay,
let's do twenty five. Anybody.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
In the next month, we'll have signs out in those
yards so people will be able to identify them, and
we'll put the list pretty soon up on our website
on the message board so people can start getting a
look there too.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Now you said some of these have structures on them,
but that would intimate some are just plots then just like.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Them are just empty land. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
So if you're a neighbor next to one of those,
this could be your perfect chance to to expand your
yard or build that garage you wanted or something like that.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Now, while this isn't part of that back on the
land bank side, when you do especially most times thinking
of within the city, if you clear out an old
dilapidated house and there's just that empty yard there, those
do get sold too, right they do.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
That's for a separate process though.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
That's a separate process. All of our properties that the
land Bank owned in the city of Lima were transferred
to the City of Lima about two years ago or
so now, so we as the land Bank don't own
anything in the city. All of these forfeited properties, all
of them have the option to going to our county
land Bank, but we want to see what the community
(06:43):
wants to do with them first, and if there's any leftovers,
maybe we'll you know, be in a position to step
in and help with development in that area.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
So the list of those properties for the auditor sale
you'll publish on your website to win.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
Within the next two weeks, they'll be up there and
we'll have the date and location date set November thirteenth,
just finalizing the location, so we'll have all those details
coming real soon.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
So that would afford interested buyers the chance to peruse
that list and maybe visit those sites.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
To some degree.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
They can drive by.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
They're not authorized to enter onto the property or inside
the property at all, but they can drive by and
look it over and look up the legals on it,
and just know that any leans associated with it, all
of it will be clear when we go to sell it.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Gotcha, we're talking about Ally County Auditor Rachel Gilroy. Also,
you wanted to discuss unclaimed funds. You know, I just,
for full disclosure, checked that list a few weeks ago.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
Now did you check the state of Ohio or did
you check the auditors there?
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Well, I checked the state of Ohio, So maybe I'll
get coached up here. Yes, I just want you to
know that I thought maybe I could look on there
and then I could not come to work.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
The next morning.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Didn't work that way.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
No, I could barely buy a stamp with what I
am owed, so I didn't bother filing the claim. They
can send that money to the Browns. Know that I'm
just give it to the Browns.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
So you're talking about through the county.
Speaker 4 (08:17):
Though I am through the county. It's totally different. So
any of our government departments that have funds that are
unclaimed get sent to the County Auditor's office, and I'm
in charge of holding them until they are acclaimed.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
And then distributing them out.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
So this can be from any department like probation, like
the Sheriff's department, the commissary, old commissary accounts, the clerk
of courts for any kind of maybe fines that you
were reimbursed, or let's see if if you want a
court case and you're supposed to be receiving restitution, if
(08:56):
for some reason you didn't receive those checks and.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
Cash them, that money is in there.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Child support, juvenile detention, the title department, and then just
accounts payable. All these folks that have had jury duty
and had six dollars checks that they didn't cash, Well,
if you don't cash them, they're still hanging out there.
So they're in unclaimed funds now. So there's actually a
lot of money in that account. So it doesn't take
(09:22):
hardly any time at all to go to the Allen
County Auditor's website and then if you're on your phone,
just scroll down to Unclaimed Funds and just click on
that link, click on the looking glass and put in
any part of your name, you know, type in the
first three letters, and it'll pull up anything with those
first three letters, and it's a very easy way to search.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Now that of course is totally separate from the State
of Ohio site that gets a lot of publicity otherwise.
But what's the statute of limitations on that money? I mean,
does it after four years or five years it goes
to the state or the county or how does that
work with.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
The State of Ohio.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
I think those are held indefinitely as far as I know.
I think those just hang out there with us locally here.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
These just hang out.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
It's different if it's out of a foreclosure sale, those
are limited to about five years to claim. If your
property was foreclosed on and there was that extra money,
I think that limitation is about five years to claim.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Otherwise, technically that can go to the land.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Bank, I see.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
But for other unclaimed funds, they technically last they just
hang out there, right, gotcha? So interesting. Indeed, the auditor's website.
The best way to find that is what the just
kind of google the Allen County website.
Speaker 4 (10:47):
If you google it, google Allen County, Ohio, because otherwise
first search is probably going.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
To be Indiana. So Allen Coounty eight to auditor dot com.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Gotcha, Yeah, there's an Allen County, Indiana across the border.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
Right across the border.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Fort Wayne's in Allen County, right, So yeah, make sure
you put in that Ohio there.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Rachel always go to visit with you. Thanks for starting.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Haw me me
Yeah, well they're being Wednesday.
Speaker 2 (00:01):
At this time we focus on Allen County various departments
therein and today we welcome Allen County Auditor Rachel Gilroy.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
Rachel, good morning, Good morning, Todd. Good to see you.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
And of course many times we talk about your work
with the Allen County Land Bank and that continues. I
don't know if you have any current things being demoed though,
do you that I drive around town and see.
Speaker 3 (00:23):
We just finished up at Blufton University.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
Oh wow, that project is just completing, and we go
out and start the old jail demolition in the next
thirty days, so there will be lots happening.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Yeah, the old jail for maybe people that aren't familiar.
And I make sure I'm getting this right. The old
jail would be it's adjacent to the courthouse, but to
its west right.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
It is crime Victim Services used to be located there.
I think they might still have a sign out front,
so it's that facility that used to operate as the
jail into the nineties.
Speaker 2 (00:59):
So that space, so just kind of wait and see
what they need to do with it.
Speaker 4 (01:04):
Right during the courthouse renovation, when the commissioners get to
that portion of the county's plan. I'm sure we'll be
seeing some development in that area, gotcha.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
And to review the land bank the funding for that.
It's not like County General Fund or whatever talk about
these land banks and how they get funded.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
Sure, none of this is County General Fund money. It
actually is completely separate from the county itself. And these
brownfield moneys. For example, that we're tearing down the old
jail with and that we tore down Hofellers and Macy's,
that's brownfield money that comes from a state grant bluffed
in University that was site revitalization and demolition money. And
(01:48):
actually we have another half million dollar site demo and
revitalization grant coming our way. So, any townships, villages out there,
if you have properties that you'd like us to add
to our potential list and start our initial work, now's
the time to get a hold of us and make
sure that we get it on the list and start
(02:09):
doing our initial survey of the property to see if
it's something that we can't attempt.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I was going to say, you don't just randomly pick
a place or you know, just kind of have to
have a process here, right, because I'm sure there have
been people that you had to turn down or because
you only have so much money.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
That's true, half a million.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
You would think that goes really far, but a lot
of times it doesn't. And these are set by the
state as far as prevailing wage jobs and things like that.
So I'm a little intricate when you get into it.
And of course we need all of our due diligence
around the property and that takes some time to get through.
Speaker 2 (02:45):
Well, I think auditors sale you have coming up as
part of that. Some of these empty lots that resulted
from these.
Speaker 1 (02:52):
Demos, none of them. Oh, that's just totally different.
Speaker 4 (02:55):
This is totally different too. So this goes back to
the county auditor here. So when properties have been up
for foreclosure and they didn't sell at sheriff's auction at
two different sales, then under revised code, they're forfeited to
the state of Ohio. So the state of Ohio technically
owns them, but under revised code, the auditor is the
(03:17):
agent for the state of Ohio. So somehow in this
crazy world, it becomes my job to get rid of
those properties.
Speaker 3 (03:24):
That you enough to do right, right, So state, let
me do this for you.
Speaker 4 (03:30):
So yeah, so November thirteenth, that's the day. We still
need the location and time to be finalized yet, but
that's coming. We have our auctioneer, Devin Dies, going to
do that for us.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
We'll have twenty.
Speaker 4 (03:44):
Nine properties up for auditors sale, so twenty two of
them are in the city of Lima, six are in
American Township, and one is in Bluffton.
Speaker 3 (03:54):
So we'll we'll gather our hopefully huge group of people.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
Last time, I think we have a couple hundred people
come out to this sale. So we'll gather everybody and
we'll go through the properties and I have to offer
them for sale twice. So the first time it'll be
the value of the taxes and fees associated with the property.
For example, if it's a city alignment property, it might
have let's say eighteen thousand dollars in assessments.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
And delinquency attached to it.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
We would offer it for sale starting at eighteen thousand,
but if there are no bidders, we close that sale
and then offer it up again immediately, starting at ten
bucks or one hundred bucks, and then go from there.
So many of these properties do have structures on them.
It doesn't mean they're you know, saveable.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
They could be.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
It's it's you know, buyer beware when you buy these properties.
But you know you could buy a property for a
dollar or ten bucks and see what you can do
with it.
Speaker 1 (04:58):
Then that's interesting saying.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
So at the front end, you're trying to recoup the
revenue that the state or the city or the county
or whatever entity missed out on because the owner didn't
pay us taxes or fees or any of that. And
short of that, you'll take whatever the hell you can get.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
We'll take whatever we can get.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
You're exactly right, just to clear our books off and
then we'll start.
Speaker 3 (05:20):
All over again.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
That's one of the funny things about an auction.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Sometime, you know, the auctioneer will start out, hey, let's
get five hundred and give me five, and he's.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
Like, all right, let's start it. One hundred, give me okay,
let's do twenty five. Anybody.
Speaker 4 (05:34):
In the next month, we'll have signs out in those
yards so people will be able to identify them, and
we'll put the list pretty soon up on our website
on the message board so people can start getting a
look there too.
Speaker 2 (05:46):
Now you said some of these have structures on them,
but that would intimate some are just plots then just like.
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Them are just empty land. Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
So if you're a neighbor next to one of those,
this could be your perfect chance to to expand your
yard or build that garage you wanted or something like that.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Now, while this isn't part of that back on the
land bank side, when you do especially most times thinking
of within the city, if you clear out an old
dilapidated house and there's just that empty yard there, those
do get sold too, right they do.
Speaker 1 (06:20):
That's for a separate process though.
Speaker 4 (06:22):
That's a separate process. All of our properties that the
land Bank owned in the city of Lima were transferred
to the City of Lima about two years ago or
so now, so we as the land Bank don't own
anything in the city. All of these forfeited properties, all
of them have the option to going to our county
land Bank, but we want to see what the community
(06:43):
wants to do with them first, and if there's any leftovers,
maybe we'll you know, be in a position to step
in and help with development in that area.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
So the list of those properties for the auditor sale
you'll publish on your website to win.
Speaker 4 (06:57):
Within the next two weeks, they'll be up there and
we'll have the date and location date set November thirteenth,
just finalizing the location, so we'll have all those details
coming real soon.
Speaker 2 (07:09):
So that would afford interested buyers the chance to peruse
that list and maybe visit those sites.
Speaker 1 (07:15):
To some degree.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
They can drive by.
Speaker 4 (07:16):
They're not authorized to enter onto the property or inside
the property at all, but they can drive by and
look it over and look up the legals on it,
and just know that any leans associated with it, all
of it will be clear when we go to sell it.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Gotcha, we're talking about Ally County Auditor Rachel Gilroy. Also,
you wanted to discuss unclaimed funds. You know, I just,
for full disclosure, checked that list a few weeks ago.
Speaker 4 (07:45):
Now did you check the state of Ohio or did
you check the auditors there?
Speaker 2 (07:49):
Well, I checked the state of Ohio, So maybe I'll
get coached up here. Yes, I just want you to
know that I thought maybe I could look on there
and then I could not come to work.
Speaker 1 (07:59):
The next morning.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
Didn't work that way.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
No, I could barely buy a stamp with what I
am owed, so I didn't bother filing the claim. They
can send that money to the Browns. Know that I'm
just give it to the Browns.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
There you go.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
So you're talking about through the county.
Speaker 4 (08:17):
Though I am through the county. It's totally different. So
any of our government departments that have funds that are
unclaimed get sent to the County Auditor's office, and I'm
in charge of holding them until they are acclaimed.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
And then distributing them out.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
So this can be from any department like probation, like
the Sheriff's department, the commissary, old commissary accounts, the clerk
of courts for any kind of maybe fines that you
were reimbursed, or let's see if if you want a
court case and you're supposed to be receiving restitution, if
(08:56):
for some reason you didn't receive those checks and.
Speaker 3 (08:58):
Cash them, that money is in there.
Speaker 4 (09:00):
Child support, juvenile detention, the title department, and then just
accounts payable. All these folks that have had jury duty
and had six dollars checks that they didn't cash, Well,
if you don't cash them, they're still hanging out there.
So they're in unclaimed funds now. So there's actually a
lot of money in that account. So it doesn't take
(09:22):
hardly any time at all to go to the Allen
County Auditor's website and then if you're on your phone,
just scroll down to Unclaimed Funds and just click on
that link, click on the looking glass and put in
any part of your name, you know, type in the
first three letters, and it'll pull up anything with those
first three letters, and it's a very easy way to search.
Speaker 2 (09:45):
Now that of course is totally separate from the State
of Ohio site that gets a lot of publicity otherwise.
But what's the statute of limitations on that money? I mean,
does it after four years or five years it goes
to the state or the county or how does that
work with.
Speaker 3 (10:01):
The State of Ohio.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
I think those are held indefinitely as far as I know.
I think those just hang out there with us locally here.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
These just hang out.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
It's different if it's out of a foreclosure sale, those
are limited to about five years to claim. If your
property was foreclosed on and there was that extra money,
I think that limitation is about five years to claim.
Speaker 3 (10:27):
Otherwise, technically that can go to the land.
Speaker 1 (10:30):
Bank, I see.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
But for other unclaimed funds, they technically last they just
hang out there, right, gotcha? So interesting. Indeed, the auditor's website.
The best way to find that is what the just
kind of google the Allen County website.
Speaker 4 (10:47):
If you google it, google Allen County, Ohio, because otherwise
first search is probably going.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
To be Indiana. So Allen Coounty eight to auditor dot com.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Gotcha, Yeah, there's an Allen County, Indiana across the border.
Speaker 3 (11:00):
Right across the border.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Fort Wayne's in Allen County, right, So yeah, make sure
you put in that Ohio there.
Speaker 1 (11:07):
Rachel always go to visit with you. Thanks for starting.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Haw me me
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