BAY ST. LOUIS Hancock County’s tax sale last week brought in a total of $1,885,797.32 for 3,053 parcels, according to Tax Collector and Assessor Jimmie Ladner. The sale itself went without a hitch, he said, but he’s troubled by the fact that there were more than 1,000 parcels that nobody bid on that were turned over to the state.

“The most disturbing portion of that is 1,182 parcels were ‘struck’ to the state,” Ladner said. “That’s $140,000 of revenue lost to local governments.”

Ladner said over the last few years he’s seen more property owners losing their land because they aren’t paying their taxes for two years. That land is considered “mature” and is taken off the tax rolls until someone buys it from the state.

“In fact we had parcels that matured to the state worth $250,000 in revenue,” Ladner said, adding that the economy is part of the reason people aren’t paying their taxes. “And uncertainties in the insurance market are causing some folks to let properties go,” he said.

The property sold in last week’s sale, which is for 2012 taxes, was spread out across the county, Ladner said. “The bulk that went to sale in the last two years was south of I-10,” he said. “A large portion being sold is attributable to people recognizing they may never come back.”