The sale of six properties in the Woodlands neighborhood in Connoquenessing Township will move forward after being tabled earlier this month by the Butler County Commissioners.

The commissioners at their Sept. 2 meeting tabled approving the tax sale of the properties in the Woodlands, which will be sold for $600 each, because they weren't sure the buyers knew what they were getting into.

The rugged neighborhood's roads are not maintained by the township, and some residents do not have water or have unusable well water.

Many neighbors blame their water woes on the nearby fracking that began in 2011, but no official connection has been made between the Woodlands' water issues and unconventional gas drilling.

Commissioner Kim Geyer said at the Sept. 2 meeting that the commissioners have taken calls in the past from those who have bought tax sale property in the Woodlands and had no idea there were issues with the property.

Wil White, county solicitor, said while some existing Woodlands residents occasionally buy neighboring properties at tax sales, they are aware what they are getting.

The matter was tabled Sept. 2 to ensure all six buyers were aware of the condition of the land they were buying.

Two other tax sale properties not in the Woodlands were approved Sept. 2.

At the Wednesday commissioners meeting, White said four of the six bidders for the Woodlands properties had ties to the neighborhood.

He said he worked with other county departments to create a “buyer beware” document that must be signed by all who buy tax sale properties.

The document states that the bidder will accept the property “as is,” regardless of its defects or issues that could preclude them from pursuing their plans for the land.

White said the six property owners looking to buy plots in the Woodlands will be required to sign the new document.

He also recommended that commissioners approve the six sales, as they are prohibited from withholding consent for the purchases.

“You're taking them off the repository list and putting it on the tax roles,” White said.

All future tax sale buyers will be required to sign the new “buyer beware” document, White said.

The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the sales.