SIDNEY — The year 2017 was one of transition for the Shelby County Treasurer’s office.
“The people of Shelby County placed their trust in me by electing me treasurer on Nov. 8, 2016,” said Treasurer John Coffield. “In the state of Ohio, treasurers do not take office until the first Monday of September following the election. My first day in office was Sept. 5, 2017.”
His report continues:
Before I continue, I would like to thank Linda Meininger for her 33 years of service in the Treasurer’s office, the last 14 years as Treasurer. She has been a loyal public servant. I would also like to thank Lisa Ashton for her years of service as she left her job as deputy treasurer shortly after I took office.
In order to replace Lisa, we hired Angie Covault. She came to the Treasurer’s office from Jobs and Family Services and has hit the ground running. I also cannot say enough about Chris Arnold and Kathy Iwanski for their invaluable help in the transition. They have 24 and 17 years in the office respectively. They know all the workings of the office and continue to serve the people of our county.
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 passed by Congress just before Christmas affected this office greatly. Many taxpayers wanted to pay their 2017 real estate taxes (due in 2018) before the end of the year in order to claim those payments as a deduction on their 2017 tax return. Starting in 2018, the state and local tax deduction will be capped at $10,000. Plus, with the standard deduction essentially doubling, many people might no longer itemize their deductions. This office collected just shy of $1.3 million in payments in three and a half days.
Also in December, the Federal Reserve raised interest rates for the third time in 2017. While this may not be good news for some, it is good news for Shelby County. In a rising interest rate environment, it means that the county can get a higher interest on some of the investments we hold. With the recent budget just approved by the county commissioners, we have projected a budget increase of nearly $100,000 in the amount of interest we plan to collect in 2018 over what was budgeted in 2017.
Every three years, the auditor’s office goes through the process of assessing the value of real estate properties. With the local economy improving and more people with jobs, the housing market has tightened somewhat. This means that many residential property values have increased. While you might be able to sell your house for more than you could have a couple of years ago, it also means that your residential property tax has probably gone up. Real estate tax notices were sent on Jan. 9, 2018 and first half taxes were due on Feb. 14. 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.
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 for any questions or concerns that you may have. We hope you have a great 2018.
