NORWICH – Assessment errors found on properties under bankruptcy protection prompted a discussion about property tax collections at Monday’s meeting of the Chenango County Board of Supervisors.

The board approved refunds totaling $700 to the Town of Greene on behalf of two individuals who had filed for bankruptcy. In all, lawmakers refunded $5,000 based on a variety of assessment errors from small claims court corrections to missed senior exemptions.

With the poor economy resulting in an elevated number of parcels in arrears from past years, supervisors are concerned about property taxes that schools, villages and towns may be unable to collect on their levies. Chenango County is obligated to make up the difference for local entities and then collects the amount back after a four or five-year period through annual sealed bid sales of delinquent properties.

Town of Preston Supervisor Peter C. Flanagan asked the board whether anyone was keeping track of the number of properties in receivership and being shielded from foreclosure, and for how long. “Some of these have gone on for years and years,” he said.