The Lawrence County Pros-ecutor's Office filed a lawsuit Friday, in an attempt to collect nearly $3 million in delinquent taxes owed on approximately 1,500 parcels of real estate throughout Lawrence County.

The delinquent taxes date back at least two years, Lawrence County Prosecutor J.B. Collier Jr. said.

"We know that some of this is uncollectible," he said. "But it's a slap in the face to those who do pay their taxes to see a person living next door who does not pay and nothing is done about it. Everyone should pay their taxes."

Collier said it has been four or five years since the county made this sort of effort to collect delinquent taxes. The money would go into the county's cash-strapped general fund.

Lawrence County Commissioner Doug Malone said that, given the county's budget crunch, the money would come in handy.

"We haven't put this in the budget at all, so it would help us," Malone said. "It would be a big boost."

Collier said the list of property for which taxes are owed runs the gamut of real estate.

"It's a little bit of everything: businesses, homes, farms, rural, city, property throughout the county," Collier said.