(a)

(1) Any county, city, town, taxing district or other municipal corporation in Tennessee is authorized to bid at any sale of property sold for nonpayment of taxes or assessments levied against the property, or to enforce the lien of any taxes or assessments levied against such property, upon which property any such county, city, town, taxing district or other municipal corporation may have a lien for taxes or assessments, and to buy at any such sale.

(2) Such counties, cities, towns, taxing districts and municipal corporations are expressly authorized to bid such amounts in excess of the total amount of taxes, interest, penalties, attorney's fees, costs and other charges incident thereto as may be authorized by the county legislative body, or the legislative council or other governing bodies of cities, towns, taxing districts and other municipal corporations, and to execute such notes or other evidence of indebtedness for any part of the purchase price of such property as may be authorized by the county legislative body, or by the legislative council or other governing bodies of such cities, towns, taxing districts or other municipal corporations.

(3) Any such counties, cities, towns, taxing districts or other municipal corporations may bid at such sales, either jointly or separately, being expressly authorized in the event of joint bids, to contract with reference thereto and execute all contracts necessary or incidental to such joint bids.

(b)

(1) If at any sale of property for taxes or assessments levied against the property, or for the enforcement of the lien of such taxes or other assessments, any county, city, town, taxing district or other municipal corporation shall be the successful bidder and become the purchaser of such property at any such sale, it shall be and is expressly authorized to take credit on any note, notes or other evidence of indebtedness executed as all or part of the purchase price of such property for any taxes or assessments against the property, owed to such county, city, town, taxing district or other municipal corporation. Such county, city, town, taxing district or other municipal corporation is expressly exempted from furnishing any security for payment of any such notes or other evidence of indebtedness for all or any part of the purchase price of any such property purchased by it by authority of or under the provisions of this section.

(2) Any county, city, town, taxing district, or other municipal corporation, having become a purchaser at a tax sale, or having otherwise acquired real estate, may fully discharge the lien or liens of delinquent taxes of the state that have priority or are superior to its lien for taxes, by paying into the hands of the clerk and master or clerk conducting such sale, the net amount of such state taxes without interest or penalty.

(c)

(1) Upon the purchase of land by a municipality at a delinquent tax sale for municipal taxes only, and after the period of redemption has lapsed, the municipality may, upon a majority vote of the governing body determining it impracticable to sell the property for the full amount of the taxes, penalty, cost and interest, sell the property for less than this amount.

(2) Subdivision (c)(1) shall not apply in any county having a metropolitan form of government and a population in excess of five hundred thousand (500,000), according to the 1990 federal census or any subsequent federal census.

(3) The municipality may, upon a majority vote of its legislative body determining it in the best interests of the municipality to use the property for a public purpose, decide to retain ownership and possession of such property.

(d) Upon the purchase of land by a municipality or by a county at a delinquent tax sale, after the period of redemption has lapsed, when both municipal and county taxes are delinquent:

(1) The municipality may, upon a majority vote of the respective governing body determining it impracticable to sell the property for the full amount of the taxes, penalty, cost and interest, sell the property for less than this amount, and the county shall be joined in such tax sale;

(2) The county may conduct a sale in accordance with [former] § 67-5-2507(b)(5), and the municipality shall be joined in such tax sale; and

(3) Any resulting revenue from such tax sale shall be apportioned to the municipality and county pro rata based on the amount of delinquent taxes.

(4) The county or municipality may, upon a majority vote of its legislative body determining it in the best interests of such county or municipality to use the property for a public purpose, decide to retain ownership and possession of such property. The county or municipality wishing to retain the property shall pay to the other governmental entity its pro rata share of the joint bid amount at the tax sale, upon receipt of which the other governmental entity shall execute a quitclaim deed conveying its interest in the property.