The annual Kamloops tax sale auction included the mayor’s home on its list, but enough of the overdue taxes were paid before bidders made their offers.

Mayor Reid Hamer-Jackson paid enough to have his home removed from the auction list today, Sept. 28, after three years of leaving his property taxes unpaid.

City staff confirmed his Westsyde property was taken off the list.

Hamer-Jackson owed more than $17,000 in outstanding property taxes with his home among a list of dozens that hadn’t paid the bill in three years.

iNFOnews.ca has learned he paid enough to settle the oldest outstanding amount from 2024, but the 2025 and 2026 amounts have not been fully paid.

The city’s taxation manager Norman Thompson said he could not confirm how much any property owner paid, but he did say anyone who has paid at least the 2024 amount would spare their homes from this year’s auction.

He also said there were 49 properties that were auctioned today, which is more than half of the list issued earlier this month.

Owners still have one year to pay before the winning bidder takes possession.

It’s typical for the owners to eventually do so, and Thompson said all 15 properties auctioned last year saw their delinquent tax bills paid.

Hamer-Jackson’s home is listed for sale at $1.9 million, but it’s not the only property.

He also has his downtown business property for sale, currently listed for $3.6 million, but it may be seized by foreclosure early next year if his debts go unpaid.