COUNTY'S 52,000 TAX BILLS IN MAIL

JACKSON -- Cape Girardeau County tax bills, nearly 52,000 of them, are in the mail and due by the end of the year.

Bills were mailed earlier this month and Collector Harold Kuehle said people who haven't received a bill and think they should have, need to contact his office right away.

"Everybody should have their bills by now," Kuehle said. "We sent them out and people starting paying real quick. There are no unusual circumstances and this year's bills look like they did last year so there are no major changes."

Kuehle encouraged residents to open their bills immediately to make sure the information is correct.

Taxes can be paid at the collector's offices on the top floor of the county administration building in Jackson or in the Common Pleas Courthouse Annex in Cape Girardeau.

Taxes can also be paid by mail, using an addressed envelope sent out with the bills.

The offices are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. until 4:30 p.m.

Taxes that are paid by mail must be postmarked by midnight Dec. 31 to be considered paid on time.

There were 24,173 personal property tax bills mailed out this year, and 27,781 real-estate bills.

Personal property bills generally include licensed vehicles that were owned as of Jan. 1.

If someone did not get a bill or have the wrong vehicles listed, they need to check with the assessor's office. In some cases, failure to receive a tax bill for vehicles means that a personal property assessment list might not have been turned in last spring.

One of the biggest problems with real-estate tax bills occurs with people who have purchased homes during the year. Bills are mailed to previous owners or new owners assume taxes have been paid.

"It is very, very important if you own property at the end of the year and have not received a tax bill, please check with our office," Kuehle said.

He explained that at closing on real estate, property taxes are pro-rated, but the burden for paying the bill usually rests with the new owner.

"If we don't get the tax bill back and don't get a phone call, we can only assume it went to the new owner," Kuehle said.

After Dec. 31, taxes are subject to a 2 percent penalty and a 2 percent per month interest charge.

"Failure to receive a tax bill does not relieve a person of the responsibility to pay those taxes or any interest and penalties that apply," Kuehle said.

The telephone number for the collector's office in Jackson is 243-4476. The number of the Cape office is 335-2606.

MDNM