SIDNEY — “Last year, in my Progress Edition report, I stated that the Shelby County Treasurer’s office had a pretty uneventful year. Boy, how one year can make a huge difference!” said Shelby County Treasurer John Coffield.
His report continues:
The year started off normally as we processed 1st half real estate tax payments for around 30,000 parcels. First half payments are always due on February 14th.
Then in March the pandemic hit. And everyone’s lives changed.
Out of an abundance of caution, and for the safety of my employees and the general public, I made the decision to close our office to the general public. We continued to work our normal hours and serve the people of Shelby County.
However, we did this with a reduced staff. One of my deputy treasurers tested positive for COVID-19 and was out of the office for around 10 weeks. The other two deputy treasurers alternated work weeks so that we would not find ourselves in a position where everyone might possibly be exposed at the same time.
During second half collections, we were able to accommodate all taxpayers, although maybe not the way everyone preferred due to the pandemic. Most people pay their taxes by writing a personal check and sending it through the U.S. Mail. We had virtually no delay in mail delivery.
People can also drop off their payments at our drop box just outside the main doors of the Shelby County Annex. Finally, people can make their payments online with their credit/debit card or by using an eCheck. This is simply an electronic version of writing a check. Many people also utilize their bank’s online bill payment service.
Any major debit or credit card is accepted (Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover). A service fee of 2.25% of the total amount will be added to your transaction. When using eCheck, you will need your bank’s routing number and your checking account number. The fee for using this service is a flat $1.25 per transaction. Up to three parcels can be paid at one time and is considered one transaction. Payments can be made 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Making payments online is a way of life for a lot of people. We are pleased to be able offer this service to our taxpayers and give them additional options to pay their taxes. Both real estate and manufactured housing taxes can be paid online.
Second half taxes will be due on July 20 and you should get your bills by the middle of June. It is important to pay your taxes prior to these dates to keep from being charged penalties and interest. If you have not yet paid your first half taxes, I would urge you to contact this office at once to see what we can do to assist you. We do not like to foreclose on delinquent properties but, in fairness to all taxpayers, we cannot accept people ignoring their obligations.
The Treasurer’s office is also heavily involved with the Shelby County Land Reutilization Corporation, also known as the Land Bank. Federal money for this program has come to an end but we will continue to do our best to remove abandoned and blighted property from our landscape.
Our office will continue to help all taxpayers in any way we can. Hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to noon on Friday. Our website is www.shelbycountytreasurer.com and our main phone number is 937-498-7281. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns that you may have. We hope you have a better 2021.
