SCOTT CITY COLLECTOR BRACES FOR LAST-MINUTE RUSH

SCOTT CITY -- Scott City Collector Aleene Warden says she's braced for the late December-early January rush to pay city taxes.

Scott City residents began lining up at city hall early this week, signalling the onset of the peak tax-paying season.

"I probably collect 50 percent of the taxes during the last week of December," said Warden, who has been city collector for eight years. "Between now and the end of the year it's going to be crazy."

The city mails bills for real estate and personal property taxes on Nov. 1, and they are due by Dec. 31. So why do most people wait until the last minute or beyond to pay up?

"I think the majority of them put it off because it's a habit to wait until the last minute," she said. "And there are a lot of people who wait until Christmas is over. Others tell me they just want to hold onto their money as long as possible."

Warden said she'll collect about $200,000 in city taxes this year from individuals and business owners. Fifty-six percent of the tax money goes into the city's debt retirement fund, 32 percent goes into general revenue, 9 percent goes to the park fund, and 3 percent goes to the city's cemetery fund.

Though a majority of residents pay their taxes by the end of the year, about 15 percent of those who owe won't pay until after Jan. 1.

"It's written on the bills, but I don't think most people realize that we charge 2 percent interest for every month bills are delinquent. It tops out at 18 percent each year," she said.

Warden said only about 3 percent of the bills are delinquent a year or more. After three years of unpaid bills, the property is advertised for sale.

The taxes are collected at City Hall, which will be open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for New Year's Day.

Bills can be mailed to city hall, something Warden said makes her job easier. "That way people don't have to wait in line," she said.

Of the 15 percent of bills that remain delinquent after Jan. 1, a majority of them are paid by the end the year, she said.

"Some people wait until they get their tax refunds, and use that money to pay their city taxes," she said.

Warden said she typically sends reminders to people whose bill remains delinquent.

"I do it as a courtesy, to let them know in case they forgot," she said. "But some people if they didn't pay them on purpose are insulted by it."

Besides collecting taxes, the staff at city hall also collects utility bills for Union Electric, a service begun in May.

Warden said it adds to the workload, but townspeople especially older people appreciate it.

"We've gotten more thank-yous for that than anything else we've ever done," she said.