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Henry County schedules public hearing on proposed tax due-date changes
Summary
The Henry County Board of Supervisors voted 6-0 to schedule a public hearing on proposed changes to real estate and personal property tax due and delinquent dates; the county treasurer detailed the proposed timetable and discussed implementation and payment-fee issues.
The Henry County Board of Supervisors voted 6-0 Feb. 25 to schedule a public hearing on proposed changes to the county’s real estate and personal property tax due and delinquent dates.
Under the proposal described to the board by the County Treasurer, real estate taxes would remain due Oct. 1 and become delinquent Nov. 1 (a 30-day grace period). Personal property taxes would be due Dec. 1 with a 15-day grace period, becoming delinquent Dec. 16 and subject to the standard 10% penalty. The treasurer told the board staff expects to have bills mailed by mid-October and said staff is confident the changes could be implemented by this fall if adopted.
The change is intended to reduce the current long grace period on real estate bills and to separate the personal property due date from the real estate cycle. The board’s formal action at the meeting was to set a public hearing and advertise the proposed dates; no ordinance or final adoption occurred at the Feb. 25 meeting.
During discussion, board members and county staff raised implementation details. The County Treasurer noted the county will notify mortgage companies and include flyers with bills and on the county website if the change proceeds. The County Attorney (Mister Gleyel) told the board the public hearing could be followed immediately by adoption, delayed, or further modified after testimony.
Staff and members also discussed online payment fees. A board member and other commenters noted a 2.95% convenience fee imposed when taxpayers pay by credit or debit card; the County Treasurer explained that state code requires the county collect 100% of the tax and that the convenience fee reflects the merchant/processor charge that the county cannot absorb. The Commissioner of the Revenue noted that real estate taxes may be paid by mortgage escrow and that the county accepts prepayments for real estate year-round, while prepayments for personal property are less common because vehicles and other personal property can change year to year.
Action taken: the board voted to schedule a public hearing to receive public comment on the proposed changes and to advertise the new due and penalty dates. The advertisement and exact public-hearing date will be set by staff.
Board members said staff would conduct broad outreach, including direct notices to mortgage companies, website postings, flyers in bills and attendance at district meetings, before any final adoption.
Clarifying details: the proposal presented to the board specified real estate due Oct. 1 and delinquent Nov. 1; personal property due Dec. 1 with a 15-day grace period until Dec. 15 and delinquent Dec. 16 with a 10% penalty. A public hearing was scheduled by motion and approved 6-0; the advertisement and final ordinance remain to be adopted following the public hearing.
