By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.com
Despite a recession, Rowan County property owners are paying their taxes. Payments received through Dec. 31 are actually running ahead of last year.
The county had collected 77.34 percent of its total levy of $66.3 million by Dec. 31, up from 76.48 percent the prior year.
In dollar terms, county property owners paid more than $51.8 million.
Leslie Heidrick, county finance director, said tax payments are at a slightly faster pace than the past three years.
The tax office likely picked up millions more by the Jan. 5 deadline that taxpayers needed to meet to avoid penalties and taxes.
“The taxpayers of Rowan County are paying their bills. That’s really impressive,” Jerry Rowland, tax administrator, said.
But Rowland added the county is moving into unchartered waters with the increasing job losses affecting people’s ability to pay. “We feel like there could be a slight downturn,” Rowland said.
Developers with unsold houses may be among those facing substantial payments. The taxes on the houses are based on the percent of construction complete as of Jan. 1.
“We’re going to work with everyone. We’re all feeling the pinch,” Rowland said. “We’ll do everything we can to help, but we have a job to do.”
The tax office offers payment plan options.
A large chunk of the property tax levy comes almost automatically in July and August. Mortgage companies are required by federal law to take advantage of discounts by paying early.
The county collected $15 million from early payments in July and August.
Rowland said the county is continuing foreclosure on vacant land and houses that are unoccupied or abandoned.
“We have not yet gone after houses that have people living in them,” he said.
Most of the foreclosures initiated by the county for failure to pay taxes involved open land or small lots left over from subdivisions.
The county also collects taxes when banks and mortgage companies do foreclosures.
Contact Jessie Burchette at 704-797-4254.