Staff photo by Fritz Busch The Brown County Board of Commissioners and City of New Ulm officials tour the Marktplatz Mall property during a tour of forfeited property Tuesday. Many plate glass windows were broken and some graffiti was spray-painted on a number of walls in the mall.

NEW ULM — The Brown County Board of Commissioners and a couple City of New Ulm officials toured the Marktplatz Mall Tuesday.

Parts of the mall and George’s Ballroom are now owned by the State of Minnesota due to non-payment of property taxes.

A County Auditor’s Certification of Forfeiture documented transferring parts of the mall and former George’s Ballroom to the State of Minnesota were filed at the Brown County Recorder’s Office Aug. 13.

What happens to the properties now remains to be determined, Brown County Auditor-Treasurer Jean Prochniak said.

“The properties could be used for public use if government agencies so desire. The process is lengthy and detailed. People would need to be organized to discuss what’s the best thing to do. It’s a challenge,” Prochniak said.