Selma residents with delinquent property taxes have until 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 23 to pay their taxes before the tax interest will be auctioned off in the city sale Friday, May 24 at noon.

There were 190 accounts that failed to pay property taxes in the city of Selma — taxes that were due Dec. 31, 2012, and were considered delinquent as of January 2013. Names on the delinquent tax accounts were published in a legal notice in The Selma Times-Journal for the past three weeks.

Kim Lewis, from the city of Selma tax and license department, said since the notices were posted in the newspaper, only 41 of the accounts have been paid for, meaning there are still 149 accounts that need to pay their property taxes.

“I don’t know what other things to say to push them to come in,” Lewis said. “If they haven’t come in by now, I don’t know what incentive to give them to come in to pay other than the fact that the liens will be placed (on the delinquent accounts) and there’s opportunity for other people to come in and pay the taxes on their property.”

Lewis explained that those who do not come in and pay their property tax will have liens place on their account that will prevent them from trying to sell that property. “If they try and sell that property with a lien on it — they have to have the lien removed and taxes paid before they can do anything with that property,” Lewis said. “It’s their responsibility and they need to come in and pay them. They have [three] more days to get in here and pay, and we would appreciate if they would.”

Lewis reiterated that all unpaid accounts will be put up for auction Friday at noon.

Payments can be paid at Selma City Hall in the tax and license department.