February a Busy Month for the Trustee’s Office

As of Monday, February 10 the DeKalb County Trustee’s Office had collected 56% or $4.2 million of the $7.5 million in 2013 county property taxes to be collected by February 28. That includes property, residential, commercial, personal, and public utility taxes.
Trustee Sean Driver said collections to date are in line with those of previous years which means the remainder of February will be a busy month for the Trustee’s Office as taxpayers rush to beat the deadline.
Friday, February 28 is the last day to pay the 2013 property taxes before penalties start accruing March 1.
The Trustee’s Office is open from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. Monday- Friday. “Remember, if the last day comes and you can’t make it to the post office to postmark your payment, we do have a drop box on the outside wall of the county offices section of the county complex,” said Driver.
The Trustee’s Office also offers the State of Tennessee Tax Relief. “If you would like to check on a possible tax relief for 2013, come and see us at 732 South Congress Boulevard, Room 103 or call us at 597-5176,” said Driver. ” The last day to sign up for tax relief is April 7. Also any 2012 unpaid property taxes will be turned over to the Chancery Court on April 1,” he added.
Driver said you have four options for paying 2013 property taxes. “You can come by in person at the Trustee’s Office or you may mail in your payment. We also offer online bill pay at www.tennesseetrustee.com. You go to that website and select DeKalb County and then follow the instructions. Business Information Systems has set this up for Trustees across the state and there is a fee to use your debit or credit card. If you do pay online the fee to use your debit or credit card is 2.75% of your total tax bill. Or you can use an e-check for $2.50 on any total. Online accepts Mastercard, Visa, Discover, and American Express. Business Information Systems collects the fees, not DeKalb County” said Driver.
“We are also accepting partial payments in any amount. Remember, whatever portion of taxes is unpaid for 2013 using the partial payment plan, only the portion left unpaid will accrue at 1.5% penalty and interest per month starting March 1. The office can still receive partial payments on 2012 delinquent taxes up until March 31” said Driver.