CAPE COUNTY TAX BILLS OUT EARLIER THIS YEAR

JACKSON -- Cape Girardeau County's 1991 tax bills - nearly 52,000 of them - are in the mail.

Collector Harold Kuehle, who mailed annual tax greetings to county residents for the 25th time in his career, said he is pleased the bills were able to be processed and mailed earlier than the last few years.

In 1990, bills were not mailed until the days just before and just after Thanksgiving.

"Everything just kind of fell into place and went real well this year," explained Kuehle. One of the reasons for delays in the past has been getting approval of tax rates for the various county entities from the state auditor's office. But this year the approval came sooner.

Getting bills out early helps in several ways, Kuehle said. Not only does it take pressure off of his office staff in trying to process payments and find new addresses for citizens who have moved, but it also gives the collector's office more time to work out problems.

Another benefit from mailing bills early is that taxing entities in the county, particularly school districts, receive their money sooner.

"A lot of people want to pay their tax bills immediately, so we have a lot of payments coming in," said Kuehle. "We also get a lot of return mail from people who have moved and their forwarding address might have expired. If we get bills out later, everything is compressed into a shorter period of time and it is hard to check out new addresses. We also need more time to work out any problems that might arise."

All county taxpayers will see at least a slight increase in their bills this year, even if assessed valuation of their property has not changed. County voters approved a property tax levy of 5 cents per $100 assessed valuation last April to generate revenue for a senior citizens services fund. The levy appears on 1991 tax bills.

Some school districts have slight increases. Nell Holcomb district has the largest increase, going from $2.96 to $3.19.

Residents of the North Cape County Fire District, which is in the Oak Ridge area, will see a 25-cent tax levy it approved this year on tax bills for the first time.

Once again this year the county is collecting property taxes for the city of Cape Girardeau. Jackson's bills are mailed out by their own city collector.

The bills have a breakdown of how much tax is going to each entity.

Kuehle said everyone should study their tax bills carefully to make sure the information is correct. He said any delinquent taxes for real estate will appear on bills. Kuehle said citizens should also check the information for their vehicles, which should be based on what was owned as of Jan. 1, 1991.

The collector also stressed the importance of calling his office if a bill is not received. "If anyone had a vehicle on Jan. 1, owned property Jan. 1, or bought property during the year, if they don't have a tax bill by the end of the month, they need to contact us," said Kuehle.

"Failure to receive a tax bill does not relieve anyone of the burden to pay taxes and any interest or penalties that might be placed on it."

Kuehle said it is also important that payments have adequate postage because payments will not be delivered unless it has sufficient postage.

Cape County's assessed valuation this year is $453,962,547. A total of 23,516 personal property bills have been mailed with total value of $3,148,000; and 28,189 real estate tax bills have been mailed that will bring in $12,547,000 in residential and commercial property taxes and an additional $2,080,000 for railroad and utilities.

Kuehle recalled that the first tax bills he mailed 25 years ago were for a total tax of $3,250,000.

Tax bills can be paid by mailing them in the envelope enclosed with bills or in person at the collector's offices in Cape Girardeau and Jackson. The Jackson office is in the county administration building and the phone number is 243-4476; the Cape Girardeau office is in the Common Pleas Courthouse Annex and the number is 335-2606.

Tax bills are due by midnight Dec. 31. The collector's offices are open from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and will be open on Saturdays Dec. 14, 21, and 28, from 8 a.m. until noon.