I've been sued over past due property taxes, and now time is of the essence. Can I just mail an informal letter to the judge stating my intentions?

Unfortunately when it comes to property taxes, just like any other debt, it' a matter of do you owe the money or not. Although you can send a letter to the judge about your financial predicament, it's not going to get you off the hook on oweing the money. You can contact the atty for the property tax appraisal agency and see about a payment plan, but usually it will be expedited meaning they will want the payments sooner then later. Alternatively you can file a chp13 bankruptcy that will spread out the property taxes for 60 months and stop the lawsuit which may give you alot more time then what the property tax agency atty may give you. At the same time if you have any other debts the bankruptcy may eliaminte them depending on what they are. Contact the atty for the property tax agency to see what payment plan they may provide. Subsequently reach out to a bankruptcy atty to see what the bankruptcy may provide to you. The 1st consultation for a bankruptcy matter is free at my firm so feel free to call me if you have any questions or need clarification    Min Kim(Peter), Attorney