County: state tax system error left personal-property forms blank; corrected mailings expected

Assessor Larry Katz told the Berkeley County Commission that the state tax department failed to roll over personal-property files when the tax year changed, which caused many residents to receive blank personal-property return forms containing only a name, address and account number.

Katz said county staff called the state, which corrected the roll-over and agreed to reprint and re-mail corrected forms; he said corrected mailings "should be in the mail maybe today or tomorrow." He urged residents that have trouble to use the county’s online preloaded forms where available.

At the meeting the commission approved routine exonerations Katz presented: one personal-tax exoneration due to taxpayer error for $44.56; four personal-property exonerations due to office error totaling $1,810.70; and 12 real-estate exonerations totaling $9,000.95. Katz said most real-estate exonerations involved rural tax-class corrections. Commissioners thanked staff for working with the state and for assisting residents through the reissued forms.

The chair added that the county and assessor’s office had fielded many calls and emphasized that the error originated at the state level; the county is monitoring the re-mailing and will advise residents on next steps if additional issues arise.