Many get wrong tax bills

July 15, 2015 at 12:05a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

The company that prints and mails some 115,000 real-estate tax bills twice annually to Mahoning County property owners has sent some taxpayers the wrong bills.

Dan Yemma, county treasurer, said, however, victims of the error will get the correct bills within four to five business days.

“They are going to re-mail all of these bills at their expense, and that was at my insistence,” Yemma said Tuesday afternoon, referring to United Mail of Louisville, Ky., and Cincinnati.

“At this point, the company is still not able to tell us what went wrong,” he added.

Yemma said he did not know how many people got the wrong tax bills, but he said the problem covers land parcels all over the county.

Most of the errors occurred among those owning two land parcels, who got the correct bill for one parcel and someone else’s bill, instead of the proper one, for the second parcel, he added.

Voicemail boxes of treasurer’s office employees were filled as the nine-member office staff received hundreds of calls on this matter Monday and Tuesday.

“I regret this, but we’re at the point now where it’s physically impossible to return all the calls,” Yemma said.

“We’re doing the best we can to try to keep up with the ones that are coming in,” he added.

Landowners will have plenty of time to make tax payments before the Aug. 7 deadline, said Ralph Meacham, county auditor, whose office also has been receiving many calls about the error.

The county spends about $85,000 a year under its contract with United Mail, and this is the company’s first major error in its fourth year of serving the county, Yemma said.

The county’s contract with United runs until January 2017, when the county has a one-year renewal option.

Company officials could not be reached for comment.

Real-estate taxes may be paid by mail, online with E-check or a credit card, or in person at the treasurer’s office in the county courthouse, 120 Market St., first floor, between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Payments postmarked on or before Aug. 7 will be accepted as on time.