About 94,000 people missed the deadline for paying Pulaski County real estate and personal property taxes last week, but more people than ever have been paying early and online, county Treasurer Debra Buckner said Tuesday.
For the tax year that ended Dec. 31, the state's largest county by population has now taken in close to $443 million in real estate and personal property taxes.
That's roughly 93.5% of what the treasurer's office was in charge of collecting this year. On Monday, about $33.4 million in anticipated tax receipts remained outstanding.
The total expected tax collections was about $18 million higher than in the 2017 tax year because of higher assessments.
The delinquency rate is about on track with last year, and Buckner said officials have begun telephone and other outreach efforts to encourage payment.
"Even yesterday and today, we're already receiving money from those who don't want to be [listed as delinquent] in the paper," she said, adding that the treasurer's office has been "flooded" with people who are ready to settle up.
Taxes became delinquent after Oct. 15. People who didn't pay have incurred a 10% penalty on personal property taxes (for cars, motorcycles, RVs and rolling stock) and a 10% penalty plus interest on real estate taxes.
Because those fees are determined by statute, county officials don't have a lot of flexibility in applying them or rolling them back, Buckner said.
"It's unfortunate that [the late fee] has happened, but at that point we're not able to waive any penalties. We don't have any discretion in that," she said.
The real estate and property tax payment deadline is the same throughout the state, although taxpayers can make payments as early as March.
Numbers weren't immediately available Tuesday regarding how Pulaski County's collections and delinquencies compared with other parts of central Arkansas.
Collector's office staff members in Saline and Lonoke counties said they were still processing this year's receipts, and a manpower shortage has slowed the process in Faulkner County, said that county's collector Sherry Koonce.
"We still have about three trays of mail left to work up," she said. "Hopefully we'll have it done by the end of the month."
Across the state in Sebastian County, the collector's office had pulled in about $18 million in current personal property taxes and $28 million in current real estate taxes for 2018, chief administrator Kathy Caperton said.
Though some Pulaski County residents are late with their payments, Buckner said this year's collections are overall a "success story" that show widespread adoption of newer payment methods.
This year, 66% of payers submitted their funds by Oct. 1 -- a sharp reversal from the 65%-70% of payers who made eleventh-hour payments between Oct. 1 and Oct. 15 in 2001.
Buckner believes the ability to make incremental payments, an option that became available some time ago but has been promoted by the county in recent years, has made it easier for people to manage tax bills.
"They could send us $100 in April and $300 in July. We're going to take their money whenever they send it," she said. "Nobody wants the big bill in October [when] we're headed into Christmas."
More people also took advantage of an option to have payments directly paid from their banks, and the county received $7.34 million in online credit card payments on the day of the tax deadline -- up from around $5 million last year.
LATE PAYMENTS
A delinquent-tax directory for Pulaski County and online payment interface is available online at: public.pulaskicountytreasurer.net. Both tools are searchable by last name and parcel number.
County residents have until Nov. 1 to pay their overdue bills and avoid having their names listed in the newspaper of record. (In this case, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.)
That deadline varies by area. For example, it's Nov. 15 in Sebastian County. For real estate tax bills that fall two years behind, the next step after public notice is possible referral to the Commissioner of State Lands to put the property up for auction.
After tax revenue is collected, it's distributed to entities in the county before the end of the year. The bulk of the money goes to public schools, but libraries, Arkansas Children's Hospital, roads and others also benefit.
Breakdowns of how revenue is allocated in each of Pulaski County's eight municipalities are also on the treasurer's website.
In central Arkansas it is less likely that people pay their taxes late because they can't afford to pay them, Buckner says. Instead, people don't pay because they forget, say they haven't received statements, are serving in the military or have died.
Others are in the habit of paying personal property taxes late with a penalty when they renew their car tags, though Buckner doesn't subscribe to that approach.
"I don't want to pay a 10% penalty. I wouldn't do that," she said.
A Section on 10/23/2019