Mark Willis

City Council voted in May 2000 to foreclose on the property because its owner, Mark Willis of Boulevard Plaza Management and Lease Corp., owed $1.2 million in delinquent taxes.

Now, it's uncertain whether that figure is right.

"This evidently is clearly in some places wrong," Hood said as she reviewed the tax bills for the property, according to a transcript of her deposition March 18."I do not have an answer for you today as to why."

While the city is engaged in a long-standing, highly publicized legal battle with Willis, Councilman Ali Sloan- El questions how many delinquent taxpayers already lost their property because of miscalculations.

"It is clear the tax department has a major problem in their accounting practices," Sloan-El said during a meeting Thursday."I plan to file a lawsuit to protect the citizens."

The city has a lien against Sloan-El's property because he owes an estimated $2,500 in back taxes.

"I'm in a position to pay them," Sloan-El said.
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Meanwhile, the city rejected Willis' offers to settle the foreclosure case out of court.His most recent offer to pay the city $225,000 expired Monday.

"We said two years ago the taxes were wrong," Willis said."And city attorney Dennis Kille said `stuff it.'"

Willis bought the old Sears Building on Admiral Wilson Boulevard and its accompanying tax debt in 1996.

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