No, the county won’t initiate foreclosure, it’s too much of a hassle. The county will sell the lien to investors. You can google “tax lien investing”, or something like that, I’m sure there is a ton written on it on the internet.

The idea is that an investor pays the county the entire past due amount, then takes it upon himself or herself to initiate foreclosure proceedings. If the delinquent homeowner pays up the amount plus interest (the usual outcome), the investor goes away with a profit. If the owner balks, the investor can take the house, but that doesn’t happen very often, though.