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Auditor: Data-entry and vendor errors left Smithville-area seniors underbilled; $272,165 remains to collect
Summary
Clay County Auditor Victor Hurlbert told commissioners that a manual data-entry error in the 2024 levy rates for parts of the Smithville School District produced excessive senior tax credits for 271 parcels; after settlements, about $272,165 remains to be billed or collected. Commissioners urged vendor accountability and opened a request to have the countys vendor appear before the board.
Clay County Auditor Victor Hurlbert told the commission on Thursday that a taxpayer tip led his office to find a typographical error in the 2024 base levy rates used to calculate the senior tax credit created by Senate Bill 190. The mistake affected parcels in the Smithville School District (TCA 11) and created larger-than-intended credits that reduced bills for some seniors.
Hurlbert said the error occurred after the county manually produced tax bills in Excel because the countys tax-collection software could not perform the necessary calculations. The audit found 271 parcels in TCA 11 were affected (1.6% of the 17,114 parcels reviewed). The correct 2024 levy should have produced $1,283,768.78 in charges for the Smithville School District; the county billed $840,064.62, leaving a shortfall to the district of about $443,704.16. Following settlements and some payments, Hurlbert said $272,165.02 remains outstanding.
Why it matters: the county collects taxes on behalf of school districts and other taxing jurisdictions. Hurlbert recommended the county bill the missed amounts; he also said the county can…
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