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Fremont County treasurer launches monthly property-tax payment option through private escrow service
Summary
Treasurer and public trustee Kathy Elliott briefed commissioners on a new monthly property tax payment option using Escrow Taxes; the county will not pay program costs and the service charges per-transaction fees paid by participating taxpayers.
Fremont County Treasurer and Public Trustee Kathy Elliott told the Board of County Commissioners the county has joined a multi-county service that allows property owners to make monthly property-tax payments through an outside escrow vendor called Escrow Taxes.
Elliott described the program as a voluntary convenience tool for taxpayers, especially homeowners without mortgage escrows or those on fixed incomes. The county will not absorb the vendor’s fees; Escrow Taxes charges $1 for e-check/ACH transactions and 2.5% (minimum $2) for debit or credit-card payments, with fees disclosed at checkout.
How it works: taxpayers register with Escrow Taxes and select payment frequency; payments are held by the vendor and a file is transmitted to the treasurer’s office before the county’s tax due date, at which point the county uploads the receipts. If the escrowed payments exceed the final tax roll, a taxpayer may elect a refund or have the balance applied to next year; if escrow payments fall short, Escrow Taxes adjusts future payments as needed when the county finalizes the tax roll in December.
Treasurer Elliott said the program could help residents who struggle to pay large semiannual bills by spreading payments across the year. She noted roughly one-fifth of Fremont County property accounts have mortgage-company escrows (far lower than some counties), which makes the service potentially important locally. Elliott said the county will provide informational materials and a link; customer service and technical support will be handled by Escrow Taxes.
Board votes and reports: the board accepted Elliott’s public-trustee quarterly report (second quarter 2025) and her semiannual treasurer’s report during the meeting by recorded roll-call votes. The public-trustee report included foreclosure activity and case counts; Elliott reported foreclosures rose to 22 for the second quarter (from 17 in Q1), that the office has sold 16 foreclosures so far in the year and that some properties scheduled for sale include the Mercy Today building, a Super 8 motel and two mobile-home parks (sales dates subject to change).
What the county will do next: the treasurer’s office will post program details on the county website and social channels; Elliott provided the treasurer’s office phone number for county-level questions, while Escrow Taxes will handle technical customer-service inquiries.
Limitations and caveats: Elliott said the program’s fees are charged to taxpayers who opt in and that the county is not paying for the service. She also noted uncertainty about the status of a senior property-tax exemption and that taxpayers should confirm their individual tax amounts and exemptions on the assessor’s site or with the treasurer’s office.
