Tax collection push good for county
Thursday, August 2, 2007 12:03 PM EDT article source
While running for office as the Lawrence County Treasurer in 2004, Stephen Dale Burcham said he was going to make deadbeat property owners pull their weight.
Burcham is living up to his political platform — to the tune of a $560,000 lawsuit that targets nearly 40 of the county’s worst offenders.
Through the lawsuit, the prosecutor’s office is seeking to force these individuals to pay up the taxes owed on 44 parcels, an effort that would only serve to bolster county coffers and benefit the school districts in which the properties are located.
Taxpayers should stop Burcham, his office workers, and the prosecutor’s staff and shake their hands for fighting to make these individuals honor the commitments all of us must meet. This is the first time in more than four years that the county has taken such an aggressive approach.
All of Lawrence County suffers — the county’s seven school districts most of all since they receive most of the funds — when a few decide that obeying the law and paying their share isn’t important.
We applaud the county, and Burcham in particular, for taking a tough stance on these offenders and creating a plan to enforce the law.
The treasurer’s office has given ample notification and warning that this course of action would be pursued. County officials have always said they are willing to work with anyone who simply couldn’t afford to address the issue. The big problem is the individuals who are making no effort at all.
Maybe a summons to court will get their attention. If not, the county can sell the property to generate the funds and return the land to being a contributing factor.
Collecting overdue property taxes is a strong start to getting Lawrence County operating in the black and having the type of “rainy day” reserves for economic development efforts that could further stimulate the economy.
Taxpayers should feel good that Burcham is doing his part to make sure that everyone carries their weight when it comes to supporting the local government and local schools.
Burcham has backed up his campaign-trail speeches and that is too often uncommon.