TIME IS SHORT FOR PAYING YOUR LOCAL TAXES

If you're one of those Cape Girardeau County taxpayers who wait until the last minute -- and there seem to be quite a few, time is running out.

Taxes paid after midnight Sunday will incur a 7 percent surcharge. The county collector's office isn't open Saturday, Sunday or Monday, so there are basically only two choices:

1. Pay your bill in person by 4:30 p.m. today.

2. Make sure your mailed check is postmarked before midnight Sunday. The main post office in Cape Girardeau has no mail pickup on Sunday, so anyone who waits until the very last day needs to drop the tax payment in the mailbox at the Postal Service's processing center in the Cape West Business Park.

Well, there is a third option: Pay late and tack on the late charges. But you can still pay your taxes on time.

If you want to.