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Tax assessor reports October–December collections and says refunds procedure changed from general fund distribution
Summary
The Tax Assessor‑Collector reported recent collection totals for October–December and said the office has changed refund procedures to route refund approvals to each taxing entity rather than paying from the county general fund; commissioners requested further review of prior years' refunds.
The Newton County Tax Assessor‑Collector reported October–December tax collections and described a procedural change to refund handling intended to ensure each taxing entity pays its share of refunds rather than the county general fund absorbing the cost.
The assessor said October county collections totaled $101,416.34 (Newton County portion $74,415.76), November collections were $634,931.58 (Newton portion $527,993.94), and December collections were $2,552,529.13 (figures cited by the assessor). Starting in October the office began sending refund approval requests to the affected taxing entities instead of issuing refunds solely from the general fund; the assessor said this corrected an earlier practice dating back several years that often resulted in the general fund being used to pay refunds.
Commissioners asked for additional review and documentation. The assessor said she had been working with office staff and the county attorney to reconcile past refunds and had gone back as far as 2013 to research practices, but that some prior details will require attorney review.
Next steps: the assessor and county attorney will continue the review and provide clarifying documentation to the court about how refunds were handled historically and going forward.
