Vigo County treasurer announces switch to Catalyst payment platform, outlines tax-collection tools and schedules

Josie Thompson, Vigo County treasurer, told commissioners the treasurer's office will switch its online payment provider from InvoiceCloud to Catalyst for the upcoming spring tax collection and said the county expects lower processing fees for taxpayers.

Thompson said the county will mail about 50,000 tax statements in April and go live on Catalyst the same day. “On a credit card, debit card, we're going from 2.75 to 2.15%,” she said during the presentation. Thompson also said eCheck processing fees will drop; the office will remove a prior small phone-processing fee that taxpayers previously paid. She said taxpayers can register with Catalyst or pay as a guest and that accepted payment methods include Visa, Mastercard, Discover, Google Pay, Apple Pay, PayPal and Venmo.

Deputy staff described collection programs that supplement standard billing: garnishments against local entities that receive tax dollars, the TREX (Tax Refund Exchange and Compliance) program administered through the Association of Indiana Counties, and the use of a collection agency for delinquent personal-property accounts. A staff member reported the TREX program has collected about $400,000 for the county since 2019.

Thompson and staff also reviewed tax-sale and payment-plan procedures: properties certified for tax sale may be placed on a payment plan that requires an initial down payment of roughly one-third of the debt with the remainder split into equal monthly installments to bring accounts current and avoid sale. The treasurer's office said the upcoming certificate sale is scheduled for April 1 at 10 a.m. in the commissioners' room.

Ending: Staff encouraged taxpayers with delinquent accounts to contact the treasurer’s office to discuss payment-plan options before tax-sale certification.