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Projection: County take from real-estate taxes tops ’07, ’08
Tax-lien sales and foreclosures are the last resort, an official says.
YOUNGSTOWN — Mahoning County’s real-estate-tax collections have rebounded from last year’s recession-induced slump and surpassed 2007 levels, according to a projection from the county treasurer’s office.
Dan Yemma, chief deputy county treasurer, attributed last year’s slump to layoffs that made people unable to pay and to lack of public awareness of monthly or quarterly installment payment options. That decline followed steady increases in collections every year since 2000.
Yemma attributed this year’s rebound primarily to more persistent efforts by the treasurer’s office to collect taxes due.
“We’ve done a lot of outreach as far as letting people know, ‘If you’re having a problem, please contact us and we’ll make arrangements,’” for a payment plan, he said. “We’re very willing to work with people,” he added.
Real-estate-tax collections in 2007 totaled $199,358,288 but fell to $194,221,387 last year. They are projected to rebound to $200,818,717 for this year.
The county has billed about $204 million for property taxes this year, meaning the county expects about $3 million won’t be collected.
First-half collections in March of this year were $104,364,408; followed by second-half collections in August estimated by the treasurer’s office at $96,454,309. Yemma said that estimate is close to the final figure, which will be announced in about two weeks.
First-half collections are normally higher than second-half collections because many taxpayers pay their full year’s taxes in March, Yemma said. Many banks to whom homeowners pay both mortgage and property-tax payments also make full-year tax payments to the county in March, he said.
Some 8,500 taxpayers who owe taxes from March or August this year will get follow-up bills by regular mail this month, followed by certified letters to nonresponders in October, Yemma said. State law requires that a 10-percent penalty be applied to taxes that remain unpaid 10 days after the due date, he said.
Tax-lien sales and foreclosures as tax collection methods are the last resort for the treasurer’s office, Yemma added.
Public schools receive about 72 percent of the real-estate taxes collected. Other beneficiaries are the state and county governments, cities, villages and townships, libraries and the Mill Creek MetroParks.
There are about 140,000 real-estate taxpayers in Mahoning County and about 160,000 taxable parcels.
milliken@vindy.com
Previous figures:
kMarch 2007: $102,658,697
kAugust 2007: $96,699,590
ANNUAL TOTAL: $199,358,288
kMarch 2008: $101,424,058
kAugust 2008: $92,797,329
ANNUAL TOTAL: $194,221,387
kMarch 2009: $104,364,408
kAugust 2009: $96,454,309 (estimated)
ANNUAL TOTAL: $200,818,717 (estimated)
Source: Mahoning County Treasurer’s office