IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR: COUNTY TAX BILLS IN THE MAIL

JACKSON -- 'Tis the season for tax bills, some 60,000 in Cape Girardeau County alone.The Cape Girardeau County collector's office began mailing tax bills Wednesday. Some 40,000 pieces of mail containing the tax bills will be mailed over the next five to six days, said Collector Diane Diebold.The county is mailing about 28,000 personal property tax bills and more than 30,000 real estate tax bills.Diebold said the tax bills are mailed about mid-November every year. "We are not really behind," said Diebold, who is in her first year as county collector. She succeeded Harold Kuehle, who retired last February after 32 years in office. Real estate, personal property, railroad and utility tax bills are expected to total about $33 million, she said. That is up from $30.5 million a year ago. Diebold credited construction growth for the increased tax total.Diebold's office collects taxes for 33 local governments, school districts and other taxing entities. About 70 percent of the money goes to the public school districts.Taxes must be paid or mailed by midnight Dec. 31.Taxes may be paid by mail or in person at the collector's Cape Girardeau office at 44 N. Lorimier or at the main office in the County Administration Building, 1 Barton Square in Jackson. Office hours at both the Cape Girardeau and Jackson locations are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.The offices will be closed next Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday and on Dec. 24 for the Christmas holiday.Both offices will be open on Dec. 31. "A lot of other county offices will be closed," said Diebold.County residents can pay their taxes by cash, money order or personal check.No credit cards will be accepted, but Diebold said her office may accept credit card payments in the 2000 tax year. "Some counties do accept credit cards," she said.But state law requires all costs associated with credit cards to be passed on to the taxpayers who use the cards to pay their taxes. The County Commission would have to approve the use of credit cards before the collector's office could accept such payments, Diebold said."I think it is possible," the collector said. "It is not something I am comfortable in doing this year."Credit cards could make it more convenient for some taxpayers to pay their bills, she said.But taxpayers would end up paying the credit card expense in addition to their tax bills. Costs could range from 3.5 to 5 percent. If a person owed a tax bill of $1,000, and the credit card charge totaled 4 percent, the taxpayer would end up paying an additional $40 to the county."It might be a benefit to them, but it is going to cost them," said Diebold.Years ago taxpayers used to stand in long lines to pay their tax bills. But today most pay by mail. Diebold said only about 20 percent pay in person.In past years the collector's offices have had some Saturday hours during the tax-collection season. But last year few taxpayers took advantage of the extended hours.There won't be any Saturday hours this tax season because Diebold doesn't think it's warranted.A new state law requires county collectors' offices to collect delinquent taxes on personal property or real estate before accepting any payment of current taxes. Diebold said the county collector's office practiced that policy in previous years even though there wasn't a state law to support it.She said her office expects to receive payments for about 20,000 tax bills during the last week of the year.Those who don't meet the Dec. 31 tax deadline will end up paying a 7 percent penalty if they pay their taxes in January. Another 2 percent charge is added to the bill for each additional month it goes unpaid.

QUESTIONS?

Anyone with questions about their tax bill may contact the Cape Girardeau County collector's office in Jackson at 243-4476.