Lines began to form this week at the Warren County Collector’s Office, as taxpayers flooded in to pay their personal property taxes.Collector Julie Schaumberg encourages property owners not to wait until the last minute, as the fees will be steeper this year. The penalty for paying past the Dec. 31 deadline has increased to 9 percent from the previous 7 percent rate. This is in addition to interest.“We’ve had a few people ask if there are going to be any extensions, and there won’t be this year,” said Schaumberg. “If you owned it on Jan. 1, then you should have a bill in the system. Our taxing districts are expecting their money, and that’s what they set their budgets on.”Schaumberg says it’s important to be prompt and remember the details to avoid incurring a penalty by missing the deadline. The collector’s office will be open through Friday, Dec. 29, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The office will be closed from Saturday, Dec. 30, to Monday, Jan. 1, meaning all in-person transactions must be made by Dec. 29 at 4:30 p.m.Schaumberg says there are alternative ways to pay property taxes but to be conscious of the time line. To avoid a late penalty, payment has to be postmarked by the post office for Dec. 30 at the latest, with the 31st being a Sunday. Schaumberg says just dropping an envelope with payment in the mailbox on Saturday may not make the cut if it does not receive a Dec. 30 postage stamp. “They need to go in and get the circle stamp from the post office,” explained Schaumberg. “A Pitney Bowes won’t work for statute. We have to go off of what the post office indicates.”Another way to pay is online through the collector’s office link at warrencountymo.org.She says the best alternative is to use the collector’s office drop box, which is accessible 24 hours. Any payment placed into the drop box by midnight on Dec. 31 will avoid a late fee. At that time the box will be cleared of payments and any made after that time will incur the 9 percent penalty.“All web payments will be stopped at midnight on the 31st,” said Schaumberg. “We come in and clean out the drop box and put a sign on it.”Schaumberg says another reason to avoid waiting until the last minute is that some people are noticing omissions on their tax bills and having to visit the assessor’s office for an adjustment.“The assessor’s office has stayed busy with supplements, and it takes longer, because they have to court order us to issue a new bill,” said Schaumberg.

Warren County taxpayers wait at the county collector's office on Tuesday to pay their personal property taxes before the Dec. 31 deadline. The collector's office will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. through this week but will be closed Monday, Jan. 1. 

Record photo/Derrick Forsythe