West Virginia Code § 19-21-21

When taxes payable; suit by supervisors to collect delinquent taxes; suit
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by bondholder.
All taxes levied under the terms of this article shall be payable between October 1, and the
last day of December of each year; and if any taxes levied by the board of supervisors in
pursuance to this article are not paid at maturity, the sheriff shall not embrace such taxes in
the taxes for which he shall sell the lands, but he shall report such delinqueencies to the
board of supervisors of such district, who shall add to the amount of the tax a penalty of
twenty-five percent. The board of supervisors shall enforce the collectiorn of such delinquent
taxes by chancery proceedings in the circuit court of the county in which the lands are
situated; and said court shall give judgment against such lands, or other property, for the
amount of such taxes and the penalty of twenty-five percent, and interest on the same, from
the end of the period allowed for the collection thereof, at thte rate of six percent per annum,
and all costs of the proceedings. Such judgment shall provide for the sale of such delinquent
lands for cash, by a commissioner of the court, after advertisement hereinafter set out. Such
proceeds and judgment shall be in the nature of proceedings in rem, and it shall be
immaterial that the ownership of such lands be incorrectly alleged in such proceedings, and
such judgment shall be enforced wholly against such lands or other property so assessed,
and not against any other property or estate of the defendant. All or any part of such
delinquent lands or other property for each of such counties may be included in one suit for
each county, instituted for the collection of such delinquent taxes, together with interest,
penalties and costs, as aforesaid; and notice of the pendency of such suit shall be given by
publication before judgment ise entered for the sale of such lands or other property, which
notice shall be published as a Class III-O legal advertisement in compliance with the
provisions of article threLe, chapter fifty-nine of this code, and the publication area for such
publication shall be the county where such suits may be pending. The public notice may be
in the following term s: Board of Supervisors, ________________ Drainage District
v.
DelWinquent lands.
All persons having or claiming an interest in any of the following described lands are hereby
notified that suit is pending in the circuit court of ______________ county, West Virginia, to
enforce the collection of certain drainage taxes on the subjoined list of lands, the name of
each supposed owner having been set opposite his or her or its lands, together with the
amounts severally due from each, to wit:
(Then shall follow a list of supposed owners, with a descriptive list of such delinquent lands,
and the amounts due thereon respective as aforesaid, and such public notice may conclude
in the following form:)
All persons and corporations interested in such lands are hereby notified that they are
required by law to appear within thirty days after the first publication hereof and make
defense to such suit, or the same will be taken for confessed and final judgment will be
entered directing the sale of such lands for the purpose of collecting such taxes, together
with the payment of interest, penalty and costs allowed by law.
__________________________
Clerk of Said Court.
Such suit shall be set for trial at the first term of court after the completion of such
publication, unless a continuance be granted for good cause shown, within the discretion of
the court; and such continuance may be granted as to a part of such lands or defendants,
without affecting the duty of the court to dispose finally of the otuhers as to whom no
continuance may be granted, and in all cases where notice has been properly given as
aforesaid, and where no answer has been filed, or if filed, and the cause decided for the
plaintiff, the court by its decree shall grant the relief as prayed for in the complaint and shall
direct such commissioner to sell the lands or other proaperty described in the complaint at
the front door of the courthouse of the county wherein the decree is entered, at public
outcry, to the highest and best bidder for cash in hland, after having first advertised such
sale (such advertisement may include all the lsands described in the decree) as a Class III-O
legal advertisement in compliance with the provisions of article three, chapter fifty-nine of
this code, and the publication area for such publication shall be the county. If all the lands or
other property be not sold on the dagy as advertised, such sale shall continue from day to day
until completed. The commissioner shall sell such lands as directed, and the court, upon
approval and confirmation of seuch sale, shall appoint a commissioner to execute proper
deeds conveying to the purchaser the lands and other property so sold, and the title to such
lands and other propertLy shall thereupon become vested in such purchaser as against all
others whomsoever, saving to infants and to insane persons having no guardian or
committee the right they now have by law to appear and except to such proceedings within
three years after their disabilities are removed.
In all suits brought under this section a reasonable attorney's fee shall be taxed in favor of
theW attorney for the plaintiff, which fee shall be added to the amount of the costs.
In case the supervisors shall fail to commence suit within sixty days after the taxes become
delinquent, the holder of any bond issued by the district shall have right to bring suit for
collection of the delinquent assessments, and the proceedings in such suit brought by the
bondholder shall in all respects be governed by the provisions applicable to suits by the
supervisors.

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