Derek Dowsett is the Producer of the County Seat. Now entering his 11th season of the program, he has received what he considers a "Crash Course" in County Government.

If you are a property owner you pay a property tax. The property tax is collected by the county who then distributes it out to other taxing entities. These entities provide you with services daily such as educating your children, public works, and generally running local government.

So what happens when you don’t pay your taxes? After 5 years of delinquent taxes the county will seize your property and sell it to the highest bidder to collect the taxes owed. It’s not a malicious act on the county’s part because they have to have some mechanism in place to get paid or else the taxes wouldn’t get paid.