County pursuing those late on taxes
Saturday, September 30, 2006 10:56 PM EDT article source
Lawrence County officials are making preparations to take legal action against property tax owners who are seriously delinquent in paying their real estate taxes and who have made no payment arrangements to pay.
Lawrence County Treasurer Stephen Dale Burcham said he met recently with staff members at the Lawrence County Prosecutor’s Office to discuss filing a lawsuit against the first batch of delinquent property owners. Several hundred names are on that total list. One of the first steps is public notification of a delinquent taxpayers list.
“We’ve been getting phone calls about when the delinquent tax list will be published in the newspaper,” Lawrence County Treasurer Stephen Dale Burcham said. “Right now we have an open collection. People may pay their delinquent taxes but payment must be received by Oct. 27 to avoid having your name in the paper. We plan to publish that list in early November, as we are required by law to do.”
Delinquent tax collections have increased over the same period last year. Burcham said by the end of the second half tax collection period in July, his office had collected $602,000 more in delinquent payments than last year. The total amount of delinquent taxes paid during the first and second half collections was $2.1 million.
Burcham said total tax collections for the first and second half collections, both delinquent and those bills that were paid on time, amounted to $12.1 million, the largest tax collection amount ever in the history of the county and at least $3 million more than last year.
The vast majority of that amount— and this is the case with all taxes monies collected— goes to the county’s public school districts. The remainder is divided among other local agencies and government entities. Lawrence County’s general fund, for instance, collected an additional $52,000.
Among the county’s municipalities, Ironton saw the largest increase in delinquent taxes dollars this year. The City of Ironton received 44 percent more in delinquent taxes than it did last year. That 44 percent amounts to $35,254. Among the county’s townships, Rome Township saw the biggest increase in delinquent tax dollars although Washington Township saw the largest percentage increase.
Among the county’s school districts, Fairland benefited the most from the additional efforts to collect delinquent taxes. Burcham said $303,658 in additional delinquent taxes was collected on behalf of the Fairland district.