COLLECTOR READIES FOR TAXPAYER RUSH

JACKSON -- Less than a third of the county's 1991 personal property and real estate taxes have been collected, and County Collector Harold Kuehle is braced for the usual last-minute rush.

Cape Girardeau County residents have until midnight, Dec. 31, to pay their tax bills, but Kuehle said the tax-paying pace already has picked up.

"We started getting really busy on Friday, which is about right on schedule," the collector said Sunday.

Kuehle said that because the county was able to mail the tax bills earlier than usual this year, many people already have paid their bills.

Slightly more than half the estimated 50,000 bills represent tracts of real estate with the remainder personal property, such as automobiles and boats.

"We've had good mail-ins, which has really helped us," he said. "It's been nice getting them sent out earlier. I don't know if the taxpayers appreciate it or not, but I like it better.

"The more we can get done ahead of time, the better. It takes a lot of pressure off us to handle everything at the last minute."

Kuehle said several factors determine how soon the county can mail the tax bills, but he said they can't be sent to taxpayers until the county receives them from the state auditor.

"This year everything just went well and we got them in early and had them certified and sent out in November," he said.

Kuehle said he expects the heaviest of the bill-paying traffic after the Christmas holiday. He said county real estate and personal property taxes this year total about $17 million and, with only about $4 million to $5 million paid, the bulk will come late this week.

"Our offices in Cape Girardeau and at the County Administrative Building in Jackson will be closed at noon Christmas Eve and won't reopen until 8 a.m. Thursday," he said. "I expect we'll get a big rush then."

The offices also will be open Saturday, from 8 a.m. until noon.

"A lot of people like to wait until the last minute and when they go out New Year's Eve, they'll just drop it in the mailbox," Kuehle said.

"But a lot of those might sit in the box for a couple days before they're postmarked. It has to be postmarked by Dec. 31, or they will have to pay interest and a penalty."

Kuehle said interest is compounded at a rate of 2 percent each month the tax is delinquent. The interest is added to a late charge of 2 percent.

Due to many residents' tight finances at the end of the year, Kuehle said many will endure the late charge and pay their taxes late.

"A lot of people pay a little late," he said. "It's easy this time of year to run short of cash, and the economy's a little shaky out there."

But Kuehle added that the bills must be paid in full, as residents aren't allowed to make installments on their bills.

As collector here since 1967, Kuehle said a recurring problem is the number of people who move or sell property during the year.

"When people move, we get returned mail and have to search out new addresses," he said. "That's why it was good to get them sent out a little early this year. If we've got some extra time to search people out, it helps."

Kuehle said that if people were county residents and owned real estate or personal property at the first of the year, they owe a tax.

"If it was assessed and they owe a tax, it doesn't matter if they move or sell the property, there's a payment due," he said. "And failure to get a tax bill does not relieve anyone of payment and interest due when it's discovered."

Kuehle said people often sell an automobile during the year, and when the tax bill on the car arrives, they disregard it thinking they no longer owe the money.

"But what you own Jan. 1 is what you owe at the end of the year," he said. "That's pretty important for people to understand.

"We really encourage people to look at their bills, to open them and make sure there aren't errors. It's pretty hard to resolve those errors at the last minute."