LITTLE ROCK — The Pulaski County treasurer is reminding residents that today is the deadline to pay property and real estate taxes before a penalty is assessed, though a problem with credit card payments spurred an emergency, one-day extension for that payment method only.
Debra Buckner said her office is anticipating a large crowd of last-minute payers making sure to get their taxes in on the final day. Failure to do so results in delinquent status and a 10 percent penalty.
Buckner encouraged those who haven't yet paid their taxes to visit one of the office's six locations, including the downtown headquarters at 201 S. Broadway, or to pay online or through the mail. The latter requires a Monday postmark to avoid the penalty.
"At midnight tonight, the Web shuts down, the drop boxes are pulled, everything stops," Buckner said before the credit card issue surfaced. "So we really know if you didn't make it by the deadline. The bills go out in February, they're for last year's taxes so you've had a long time to get ready to pay."
For those who will use credit cards, property tax payments can be made without penalty through midnight Tuesday now. Debbye Wolter, chief deputy treasurer, said it wasn't clear when the credit card system would come back online or why it broke, though she said it might have been a capacity issue caused by an influx of last-day usage.
Wolter said the issue was a "failure of the third-party service provider" that processes the credit card payments. She said she didn't know what would happen if the service wasn't restored soon.
"We will look at that tomorrow," she said. "We're hoping it will be back up."
As of late Monday morning, Buckner said, about 115,000 parcels still needed to be paid out of 385,000. The office had taken in more than $100 million since Oct. 1.
"That tracks very very well," she said of the payments, which fund government, schools, hospitals and more throughout the county.
Buckner said some tax payers were lined up before the downtown office even opened Monday morning. She said it would likely remain hectic through 6 p.m., when it closes.
"We're very excited," Buckner said Monday while employees worked through a line of about a dozen people. "Lines are forming. Everything's busy. For the most part, our people barely get a lunch and a bathroom break today."
Pulaski County residents can check their tax status at the treasurer's website.