Stark County property tax bills expected to be lower

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The bad news: Stark County property tax bills were sent out Friday. The good news: Many residents will see lower taxes this year, according to county officials.

The office put the county’s 17,900 property tax bills in the mail Friday and Auditor/Treasurer Alice Schulz said some people will receive them today and others on Monday.

The payments are due Jan. 1 but there is no penalty until March 1. However, there is a 5 percent discount to those who pay by Feb. 15, she said.

The state Legislature provided more funding to the school districts, so the amount the districts are requesting from the local tax base is less and it should reflect on tax statements, Stark County Commissioner Ken Zander said.

“Some people will see an increase in their property assessment but that doesn’t necessarily mean there will be an increase in their taxes due,” he added.

Schulz encourages people not to wait until the 15th to make payments.

“Every year they wait until the 15th and we may get a blizzard, or they may get sick or in the hospital, or whatever, and they call and ask us to waive the penalty or give the 5 percent discount and I can’t do that by law and I feel really bad,” she said.

Residents can pay by mail or stop at the auditor’s office in the Courthouse at 51 Third St. E., Dickinson, and pay by cash or check. They can pay with credit cards online (go to https://mylocalgov.com/starkcountynd for a link). However, the company that provides the service charges 2.75 percent.

“If they could just come in a little bit earlier and not wait until that last minute, that would be great,” Schulz said.

Tags: news, local, stark, taxes