The amusement tax debt is almost equal to 5 mills of real estate tax in the township. One mill of township real estate tax generates about $32,000.

Supervisor Harry McGrath said the township doesn’t want to force a sale of park assets, but said selling the debt was a way of helping township taxpayers, the majority of whom are on fixed income. Taxpayers face not just township real estate taxes, but those of the county and the Conneaut School District as well, he said.

“It’s hard to ask someone to give up their home (because of rising taxes) when somebody owes us $152,000,” he said. “We’ve sat 12 years on it. We’ve held off and held off for years hoping it would come back, but we’ve not seen anything.”

McGrath said he doesn’t know what may happen next.

If a sheriff’s sale of assets does take place, all other judgments that were filed before Summit Township’s would have to be satisfied first, before the holder of the Summit Township amusement tax lien would get paid, according to Walker.

If property does sell, it would be free of debt and it could then be used for something else, Walker said.

As of the week of Dec. 1, Conneaut Lake Park owed a total of $570,872.34 in back real estate taxes to Crawford County, local municipalities and Conneaut School District, according to the county treasurer’s office.

Conneaut Lake Park is taking steps to pare down its approximately $2.4 million in total debt, Moyers said.

It has been working on getting lease agreements for various aspects of the park — including Hotel Conneaut, the Beach Club bar, rides and concessions — to help trim the debt. Private groups have been operating the hotel and Beach Club since mid-summer, but the rides and concessions have been closed for two years.