The vacant, fire-ravaged Kennedy’s bar, which township officials contend is a hazard, is among the properties listed in a township tax sale. 

Kennedy’s, at the White Horse Pike and Pomona Road, owes nearly $8,000 in back property taxes, according to the township tax collector’s office. 

Kennedy’s is one of 1,271 properties in the township whose tax liens are up for sale on Tuesday, Dec. 20. 

There are two separate liens related to Kennedy’s, which is referred to in tax documents as “Kennedy’s Steakhouse.”

One lien is for $7,547.10. Another, for an empty lot attached to the building, totals $124.87.

Kennedy’s owners haven’t paid taxes on the property for the past two quarters, said township Tax Collector Al Stanley. 

The building has been vacant since an after-hours fire struck the establishment on March 21. 

Alyce Bishop of Port Republic is listed in state documents as Kennedy Steakhouse’s “president.” She did not return a call seeking comment Monday. 

If someone chooses to bid on Kennedy’s during Tuesday’s tax sale, that person will take over payment of the lien, although they wouldn’t take over actual ownership of the business.

That person would pay the taxes on the property, and would have the option to pay the taxes each time they are due. After two years, they may purchase the property, but at any time before then, the owner can pay off the lien and retain ownership of the property. The person who had been paying the lien would be refunded what they paid, with interest.

Last week, township Mayor Don Purdy said the building was deemed unsafe shortly after a fire that decimated part of the roof. However, it has remained untouched because of an ongoing investigation by the Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office. Purdy contends it’s time to make a decision about fixing or demolishing the building. 

A spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office said last week that the cause of the fire remains under investigation.