The Foresight Hospital and Health System property in Stuart, (formerly Pioneer Community Hospital of Patrick County) has been turned over to collections due to unpaid real estate taxes, according to Patrick County Treasurer Sandra Stone.
Stone said once the unpaid taxes reach the two-year mark on December 31, according to Virginia law, the property can be subject to being sold.
Stone said the hospital has delinquent taxes going back to 2022, plus penalties and interest.
The total for 2022 and 2023 is $33,101.12, or $16,550.56 per year.
Stone said she started pursuing collections for the unpaid taxes in December.
“It’s in the early stages” of the collection process, Stone said. “Anything can happen. They still have time to redeem it, but it has been turned over. They get delinquent notices when we mail delinquent notices. So, when they got their original bills, then they got a delinquent notice.”
Stone said bills for 2024 will be generated in April and the first half of real estate tax will be due in June.
“So, technically they’re being taxed now, we just haven’t generated the bills,” she said.
Stone said with the litigation process, Foresight will receive notices on the legal side before the property ever goes to auction – if it does.
However, “if they fail to comply, then it will go to auction and it will be auctioned off,” Stone said, adding at that point, the property would once again be for sale.
“I reiterate that it’s in the early stages,” of the collections process, “and it takes months to go through some of the channels that you have to go through, legal searches, and things that have to be done when it goes to sale,” she said. “It’s not like it’s going to be sold tomorrow.”
She added Foresight can pay the taxes any time before the sale.
Stuart Town Manager Bryce Simmons said as of Friday, January 12, the hospital has $526.12 in past-due utilities and $7,980.54 in unpaid property taxes with the town.
Simmons said he also sent an enforcement letter to remove the “Opening in 2023” signs from the hospital property.
“We consider it to be out of compliance with our zoning, and we intend to have it removed, any reference to it opening in 2023,” he said.
Simmons told members of the Stuart Town Council that he issued a Notice of Violation letter to Foresight Hospital and Health Systems, owners of the hospital property, due to non-compliance with the town’s sign ordinance.
The letter was sent via certified mail on January 5, Simmons said at a January 17 meeting. “The nuts and bolts of it are the town intends to remove any sign referencing the facility opening in 2023.”
As of January 17, Simmons has not received a return receipt that the company received the letter.
It was mailed “to the address of record in the GIS (Geographic Information System) and the owner. So, I think I may just have to send another letter to the address in Chicago,” he said.
Chris Corbett, Town Attorney, said he, Simmons, and possibly some council members, have received snarky comments from the public regarding the hospital’s signs.
The letter is the town’s effort to try “to alleviate that,” he said.
Mayor Ray Weiland said the town will get the signs taken care of once the required time elapses, or town officials receive a response from the company.
If that occurs, the ordinance stipulates that the cost will be charged to and paid by the property owner.
In mid-December, Simmons said foresaw the signs were going to be a compliance issue and emailed the company’s legal representation to ask if the town could remove the signs.
“I got no response then,” Simmons said. “I’m going to do everything I can to get those signs down because it’s egregious.”
Simmons said he sent the certified letter on January 4.
“By the zoning ordinance, they have 30 days to resolve the violation” after it has been received, he said.
