A smaller percentage of property tax has been collected in Allen County compared to a year ago, but the number of tax dollars is greater.
County Treasurer Sharon Utley told commissioners Tuesday that approximately $8.6 million had been paid through March 31, which is 61 percent of the $14.26 million in taxes assessed when statements were mailed last November. She said last year 63 percent of accounts had been collected, which amounted to $8.26 million.
Property owners who paid the first half of taxes have until May 10 to pay the second half without penalty. The penalty is otherwise 7 percent annually; late payments have the penalty prorated daily, based on the annual percentage.
Allen County also collects property taxes for other taxing units in the county: cities, school districts and Allen County Community College.
Distributions are then made to each governing body, except that money raised for school district general funds by the statewide 20 mill levy goes to the state and becomes part of the package that, including sales and income taxes, funds state aid support.
UTLEY also gave commissioners a printout of sales tax collections since January 2008. Receipts were down about 8 percent between 2008 and 2009, totaling $1.24 million.
The decline continued this year in January and February, compared with the same months the past two years.
