Richmond County has approximately $6.5 million more in delinquent tax cases this year compared to the same time a year ago.
Officials say they're not sure if it's because people are unable to pay in the midst of a recession or if they're holding onto their money as long as possible before facing a penalty.
"One thing that might be different, our penalty date is not until the 22nd (of December)," said Ryan Barbin, an accountant with the Richmond County Tax Commissioner's Office, adding that last year the penalty date was Dec. 20.
Technically, property tax payments were due in Richmond County on Nov. 17, but a 10 percent penalty won't be added to the bill until after Dec. 22, Mr. Barbin said.
Taxpayers could have received a 1 percent discount if they had paid by Sept. 25, but as of Thursday there were 15,668 accounts still considered delinquent for an uncollected total of $22,534,694, Mr. Barbin said.
For the same time last year, Richmond County had 15,085 outstanding cases, totalling $15,973,780.
Should payments not be received by Dec. 22, in addition to the flat 10 percent penalty, Mr. Barbin said a 1 percent interest fee will accrue to the payment total for each month afterward.
In Columbia County delinquent cases are down this year, officials said. The past due figure was $5,733,761 as of Thursday, an improvement of $4.1 million from just a few weeks ago when the delinquent total was 9.8 million.
The deadline for paying property tax in Aiken County is Jan. 15.
Reach Preston Sparks at (706) 823-3338 or preston.sparks@augustachronicle.com.
Comments
I think they should ask Congress to bail them out.
I am wondering how long the sale on the court house steps will last? Lets see, about 10 minutes for each property times 15,803 equals 158,030 minutes or 2634 hours divided by 8 hours equals 329 days of continous sales at seven days a week . Wow that is going to be some kind of record. Given the amount, i kinda doubt they are worried about loosing their property though. Lets face it, the penalty for speeding is higher than a penalty for not paying your taxes.
How about a list of those elected officials who haven't paid.
Well, how about if people's tax bills hadn't TRIPLED in some cases they could afford to pay them??? Mine went from $182 last year to $554 this year! My lot value increased FIVE TIMES. In this housing market? I don't think so. And the appeal process is a joke, more often than not resulting in "it got lost in the mail - we never got it". I had to borrow the @#$%& money to pay it before the deadline. What about the elderly on fixed incomes? They're probably the ones that'll end up on the courthouse steps.
Well astrea maybe you feel like I do now. Where is the budget and what does it pay for? Maybe if the budget process was open and visible we would know what you and I are paying for. By the way the Commissioners just approved the Budget, did you see antthing about notifying the public about it, better yet did they really scrub the document or just pass it as something that needed to be done quickly? BTW didn't I just read an article that says the procurement dept is refusing to divulge information to the public. I guess we aren't smart enough to see when monet is wasted! Another thing, where is the budget for the RCBOE? Well I guess that is another agency where we applaud the regulator regardless of the inefficiency.
Astrea I did a little more research on why your taxes are so high as follows. Apparently during one of the commissioners retreats they decided to put new signs around the city. This was called the "Wayfinding and Signage program. I was supposed to tell you and me that i we were on Gordon Highway (I have lived here almost 30 years) that we were headed to the downtown. It also told us the exits for downtown Augusta from the interstate. The program was supposed to be (funded?) by the DDA. This is funny because the DDA is funded by you and I. Further, by city code this would be outside the mission and functions of the DDA. Any way the program is not documented in the city web site ( not unusual) but the program total cost does appear in Freds proposed 2009 budget. The program is three phases for a total cost of only $1,502,35.00. This isn't much if you consider the help it provided you and I in finding our way to downtown. By the way Phase 1a is $140,000.00 and it bought 25 signs or banners ( wow what a deal) at an average cost of $5625 for a sign or a cloth banner. I couldn't find out the mixture or cost of what was bought but, wasn't that a real deal for the taxpayers?
jack: Quick research shows that property listed in their own name and/or property listed as where they live, has unpaid taxes for the elected representatives from A-RC Commission District 2 and 4 and RCBOE District 6 and 7.
At some point, we all probably won't be able to pay while they continue to waste money. The budget should have been cut at five years ago but they also thought that they had an endless pot of gold of increase taxes year after year. Why is Fred Russell is still there? He hasn't balance a budget yet. When it rains here, you are driving on these roads at your own risk of death. The schools suck but yet as still, they are so proud of several schools when they are taking money from the every parent hoping that they could get the same level of education in their trap school zone. It doesn't matter where anybody lives, it's their tax dollar. They wheeled a mobile home in my neighborhood and increase the property tax every year since. 99% of homes were built from foundation and not wheeled in but our government says it's the law. What law? Planning and Zoning can't give you the law or the code that allows this in print. Last new home built in 2006. I wonder if our government is being run like Chicago, pay to play in which why we have high cost on everything that they do. Just stop wasting money, increasing our taxes, and bad government, is all that I am hoping for in Augusta.
dissman, they tell me it's because of the expensive houses two blocks up the street from me. Yet.. the ABANDONED houses two blocks in the OTHER direction, that need to be torn down, apparently have nothing to do with the value of my house. I live in a very old, established neighborhood. There has been no new construction in decades, no improvements, the street hasn't even been repaved. If anything, it has gone downhill. Every house in the country's value has DROPPED in the last year. There was no justification whatsoever for raising my taxes. As for what they spend my tax money on, I've figured out they do dumb things for dumb reasons and I can vote til I'm blue in the face and these idiots still manage to get elected. I'm about ready to move.
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