Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon’s crusade against delinquent properties took another turn on Thursday, announcing that the county is filing new action against two struggling malls and DMI Acquisitions, LLC.
McMahon said at a briefing that the action regards non-payment of sewer rate charges from DMI, ShoppingTown Mall in DeWitt and Great Northern Mall in Clay.
The unit bills owed to the public are:
- ShoppingTown Mall: $371,000
- Great Northern Mall: $47,000
- DMI: $47,000
“If you don’t pay your water bill, what happens? They shut off your water,” McMahon said. “The sewer and the treatment of wastewater is a utility. So we’re going to be suing, asking the courts to address this issue and asking for some form of relief.”
The county also intends to file additional action against DMI for dissipation of value of the property and against Great Northern for owed back taxes, which now total $3.27 million.
McMahon said that the situation with Great Northern Mall is not about a dispute over property value like the ongoing legal battle between the county and ShoppingTown Mall, which owes more than $ 9 million in back taxes. Great Northern agreed to their tax plan with courts and the Town of Clay late last year.
“They’ve agreed to what their tax bill should be. They’re just not paying it,” McMahon said.
Regarding ShoppingTown, McMahon said the county will be pushing forward with their tax foreclosure to take over the property in October.