Published: January 23, 2009 06:24 pm      

Property tax deadline nears

Most county homeowners have already paid their bills

The deadline to pay property taxes without a penalty is nearing, and most Henderson County homeowners have beaten the cutoff date.

Those who don’t have their money in by the January 31 deadline will be charged a seven percent penalty in February, according to information from Henderson County Tax Assessor/Collector Milburn Chaney’s office.

County collections are now at 63.68 percent and have been running about a percentage point above last year’s pace. In October, Chaney’s office sent out bills totaling $65,748,757.28 for all entities served by the county tax office. To date $47,482,332.82 has been remitted by taxpayers.

Though the county offers a small discount for early payment, Chaney said, most of taxpayers take care of their obligation in January.

After February, the penalty will increase by two percent each month through July, when the rate tops out at 18 percent. After July, an attorney’s fee will be added to the cost.

Aside from going to the Tax Office in the Henderson County Courthouse Annex on Prairieville Street, homeowners can also make credit card payments on the upgraded county Web site. In 2008, the county entered a contract with NET Data to update the software and make it possible to view property tax information without going to Chaney’s office.