>>Valley Patriot>> |
You Owe - You
Pay!
As much as we hate taxes, and as much as the tax system seems unfair and that our money should be spent more wisely, we need to comply with the law and pay our taxes. No longer will abusing the system be tolerated. It’s time that the tax collectors start doing their jobs and certainly it is time for the city council to start taking action to be sure that the city is collecting what is owed. Most people are honest and responsible taxpayers that do not deserve any more increases in their taxes. But for those who are not, I say it is time to stop giving tax breaks and forgiving back taxes. You Owe - You Pay ... and that’s the law! With all due respect, I am letting the residents of District “B” know that I mean business and I will be knocking on your door soon if you owe back taxes to the city of Lawrence. If you are one of those who is in arrears, my respectful advice to you is this: the tax collector’s office is open at City Hall from Monday through Friday until 4:30 p.m. You should make arrangements with the tax office to make payments until you are caught up. But you must begin the process of bringing your tax bills in so that the city can function. What happens if you fail to pay your taxes? If you do not pay the first installment of your annual tax bill, it becomes delinquent and penalties are incurred. And if you fail to pay the second installment, administrative charges will be added to your bill as well. The longer you let your bill go, the more you are going to have to pay in the end. Once your property is considered in “default,” the fees and penalties on your property will start to accrue monthly! What happens to the delinquent property taxes? The tax collector is required by law to advertise the delinquent parcel in a local newspaper and the cost of advertising is added to your bill. Then the tax collector holds a tax certificate sale. These certificates represent liens on all unpaid real estate and are sold so that the various tax authorities will receive those funds owed. The tax certificate sale is open to the public Your property could be auctioned off! In order to remove the lien on the property and cancel the certificate, the property owner must pay all the delinquent taxes plus accrued interest penalties. As a member of the Lawrence City Council, I am going to be diligent in my duties to make sure all taxes owed to the city are collected. Grisel Silva is a Lawrence City Councilor from Ditrict "B". You can email her at gnsilva2861@verizon.net *Send your questions
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It’s time to take
responsibility for enforcing delinquent taxes in the city
of Lawrence. The important job of a Lawrence city
councilor is to assure that the job is getting done. One
of my objectives as a city councilor is to enforce the
law. I want to assure you that I will be working very
closely with the tax collector’s and assessor’s
office to do just that.