What we will now and forever more label the Angel Exchange Debacle of 2018 raised a lot of questions, most of which will evaporate with the Robeson County Board of Commissioners’ decision, which remains unannounced, to abandon its pursuit as a site for the school system’s central office.

The chase certainly churned the rumor mill, with allegations of cronyism, nepotism, kickbacks and that this was the first step in a covert attempt to move the Board of Education to Pembroke, and failing that, the county administrative offices.

We don’t know that Raymond Cummings, the chairman of the county Board of Commissioners who pushed this hard, will ever honestly answer the question of why, but we can assure you that his primary interest was his own.

But a question that should be answered is: How can the owners of a building that is valued at millions of dollars be allowed to go for years without paying their property taxes if not in full, than substantially, and allowed to fend off foreclosure with intermittent and modest payments? It smacks of favoritism, and the glee to toss a lifeline by at least some commissioners testified in favor of preferential treatment.

We guess that most if not all of the property owners who are reading this believe that if they were so delinquent, that they would be treated much more harshly.

Perhaps not.

Robeson County, as we all know, is a poor county, certainly near the top — or bottom — of the list, depending on how it is configured, and also probably has a national ranking. That means a lot of hard-working people are in financial difficulties, often because of bad luck, and not necessarily a consequence of laziness or poor decisions.

The county’s approach to delinquent taxes reflect that. We say approach, because we aren’t sure there is a black-and-white policy, which is the point of today’s Our View.

The county has a history of working with delinquent taxpayers, invoking penalties that are so modest that it can actually make sense not to pay until the penalties get stiffer. The county also prefers working with delinquent taxpayers, setting up payment plans that are to the benefit of those who owe as well as the county, which at least gets something.

The county has always considered foreclosure to be the last and least desirable option, and that is understandable. The process is clumsy and lengthy, and it’s rarely preferable for the government to seize property and sell it at a fraction of its value.

But when the owners of a multi-million-dollar building fall years behind in their payment of taxes, and the property is located at COMtech, whose success the county is heavily vested in, then it might be time for hardball. COMtech and the county need that building owned by someone who can make it profitable while paying taxes as well as fees for services it is provided.

If initiating foreclosure is the best path to making that happen, then so be it.

That decision, however, should not be made on a whim, but should be based on an objective standard that includes a substantial number of warnings before the process is begun. Foreclosure is a tool at the county’s disposal that should be used to grow the county’s collect rate, which is on the upswing, but still behind the state average — and when it should be initiated should be determined and preserved in black and white.

When delinquent taxpayers escape punishment or are not hit with sufficient force to inspire them to pay up, then they are being rewarded for their indifference, and the rest of us, those who meet are tax burden, are being punished.