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Tax office presents delinquency lists and board approves reimbursement for eight online payments incorrectly posted to tax sale
Summary
Tax office staff presented lists of delinquent mobile-home and personal-property taxes and the board approved reimbursing tax-sale buyers for eight online payments that were not posted correctly; staff and the assessor were asked to coordinate follow-up to identify properties and recovery options.
The Washington County tax office briefed supervisors on several tax-administration items and the board approved a staff request to correct a posting error that affected a small set of tax-sale properties.
Delinquencies presented: Tax office staff reported a list of delinquent mobile-home taxes (190 units totaling about $19,008.45 in taxes plus circuit clerk fees) and a separate listing of 304 delinquent personal-property accounts with liabilities totaling about $296,538.46 (including penalties). Staff described many of the mobile homes as dilapidated and noted that collecting taxes on abandoned or moved units is difficult.
Board direction: Supervisors asked the tax assessor and collector to coordinate on cross-checks to determine which mobile-home accounts are also associated with land ownership and whether liens could attach to real property when appropriate. The tax assessor was asked to work with collection staff to field-verify property status and return with recommendations on recovery or enforcement steps.
Online payment posting error and reimbursement: Staff described eight instances where taxpayers paid through the county's online payment system but the clerk who completes tax-sale postings did not finish the processing; the money is in the county bank account associated with online payments but the taxes had nonetheless proceeded to tax sale. The tax office asked the board to ratify reimbursing the tax-sale buyers from county funds while the taxes are recorded correctly. The board approved the reimbursement and directed staff to reconcile the accounts, reimburse the buyers and correct tax-sale records.
Why it matters: Unresolved tax delinquencies affect county revenue projections and property stewardship; errors in online payment processing that lead to improper tax-sale postings create legal and administrative complications and require county action to remedy.
Next steps: The tax assessor and collector will coordinate outreach and field checks for delinquent mobile homes and return with proposed remedies; staff will reconcile the eight online payments, reimburse buyers who purchased tax-sale liens in error and update the tax-sale record.
