In the market? Lake Co. sheriff wants to handle sales of foreclosed homes

The Lake County sheriff's office wants to handle the sales of all foreclosed properties in the area, a move proponents say could create more than $1 million in additional revenue for the office.

The sheriff's office oversees some foreclosure sales now, but most are handled by private firms, said Michael Blazincic, chief of the sheriff's administrative division. Last year, of the more than 4,700 foreclosures filed in Lake County, the office ran only 30 sales, Blazincic said.

That figure could skyrocket to more than 200 a month if the county board gives the sheriff's office power to create a new judicial sales division that would handle all of the county's foreclosure sales.

"(We'd be) very busy," Blazincic said.

If the plan progresses, all foreclosure sales would be held in the sheriff's conference room in Waukegan. Two new employees would be hired to oversee the sales.

The DuPage County sheriff's office has a similar program, officials said.

The division's costs would be covered by the cases' $500 fees, officials said. On top of that, the fees are expected to generate $1 million and $1.5 million annually for the Lake County sheriff's office.

"We are taking money that was going (to private firms) and taking it in house," Sheriff Mark Curran said.

Curran said people "should feel sad" when homeowners lose their properties through foreclosure, but he insisted taking over foreclosure sales is a fiscally responsible move during tough economic times.

"We have to be innovative in terms of how we can survive on less," he said. "It's $1.5 million less that we have to cut."

Lake County Administrator Barry Burton backs the proposal. In addition to the extra revenue, potential buyers from this area wouldn't have to travel to sales in Chicago or suburban Cook County, he said.

"It makes it a lot more convenient," Burton said.

The county board's financial and administrative committee is scheduled to discuss the proposal today. That meeting is set for 1 p.m. at the county government center, 18 N. County St., Waukegan.

The full board could vote on the plan Tuesday, June 16.

If the request is approved, Blazincic estimates the new division could be operational by Aug. 1.