Homes classified by the city as owner-occupied will be removed from Baltimore’s tax sale again this year, Mayor Brandon Scott announced in his State of the City address this week.

It’s the third year in a row that homeowners have been removed from the tax sale, the city’s annual process of recouping unpaid property taxes by auctioning off liens to investors, who can charge homeowners steep interest and eventually foreclose on their homes if debts remain unpaid.

“Baltimore’s renaissance is at hand, but it cannot be a renaissance that displaces those who have been here through thick and thin,” the Democrat said in his address.

Cirilo Manego, a spokesman for the mayor, said he could not yet provide the exact number of homes that will be impacted, but estimated it will be about 2,500 properties.

The story continues at The Baltimore Banner: Baltimore’s tax sale will exclude owner-occupied properties for third year in a row

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