City Councilman had IRS tax liens, delinquent property taxes, recent credit card settlement

Review confirms history of $407K in liens on New Golden Shores residence

Delinquent 2022 property tax debt of $2,240 paid June 12th

Sued by credit card company while on council

MANDEVILLE — District II Councilman Dr. Skelly Kreller has a history of financial troubles, including $406,978 in liens placed by the Internal Revenue Service between 1987 and 2015, delinquent payment of his 2022 property taxes in the amount of $2,240.96 for his Dona Drive residence, and a settlement with a credit card company for non-payment in 2022 during his first term on the City Council. While the majority of the IRS liens were associated with income taxes, a substantial portion were also related to payroll taxes.

These bombshell revelations were brought to light by a bulk mailer sent out this week by “Three Rivers PAC LLC.” The information was verified by Mandeville Daily using publicly available resources, including the St. Tammany Parish Clerk of Court’s Office, the St. Tammany Parish Assessor’s Office and the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office.

On April 23, 2013, the federal government filed a “Subordination of Property from Federal Tax Lien” on his personal residence in the amount of $406,978, according to records.  It appears that a mortgage was used to pay off some or all of this debt. The debt with the IRS is no longer outstanding.

The St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office’s June 7, 2023, delinquent property tax report — which is posted online and in local newspapers — contained a “Joseph Kreller” of 280 Dona Drive in Mandeville for $2,240.96. That debt was paid on June 12, 2023, according to the Sheriff’s Office tax collection division.

Citibank sued Kreller in September 2022 — during Kreller’s first term on the City Council — for an unpaid balance of $3,259.46.

At the November 16th City Council meeting, Kreller spoke in favor of a reconstituted “Mandeville Financial Oversight Committee” that was voted down 3-2. Citing his experience running his dental practice, he said, “I’m on a medical/dental background and we had oversight. I’ve had it my whole life, in medicine.”

Mandeville Daily was able to corroborate this information with records on file with the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, St. Tammany Parish Clerk of Court’s Office, and the St. Tammany Parish Assessor’s Office.

Here is a link to a series of liens on file with the Clerk of Court’s Office.

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