By JIMMY LAWTON

OGDENSBURG -- City council approved the sale of two properties at recent meeting.

The council agreed to sell 111 Lafayette Street property for $3,400 and a portion of former paper Old Lisbon Street for $3,550.

The Lafayette parcel was sold to B&E and JKN, LLC, a company based in Plattsburgh. The 30-foot by 171 foot Old Paper Street parcel was sold to Danny and Sirika Sekhon.

Mayor Wayne Ashley said he was glad to see two more properties would be returned to the tax rolls. Ogdensburg has been working to sell its surplus lots over the past few years, with sales happening regularly.

It’s a key strategy for the city, which has a small taxable base and has been struggling financial.

Ogdensburg’s total assessed value is estimated at $665,229,785, but only $270,973,370, or about 41 percent, is taxed. While Ogdensburg still has many vacant properties it also has many tax exempt organizations.

Landowners who qualify for federal tax-exempt status don’t have to pay property taxes in all 50 states. They include churches, government-owned facilities and non-profit organizations.

The basic idea behind federal tax-exempt status is that institutions, which theoretically contribute to the common good and lessen the burden of government, should not be required to contribute to costs for local services. But this creates problems for county government, municipalities and schools that provide services.

That’s especially true for communities where a major percentage of assessed value is exempt, which is often the case in St. Lawrence County, where the majority employers are government and non-profits.

According to records obtained through the county Real Property office, about 63 percent of the county’s total assessed value is taxed.