County tax administrator Glenn Spell, left, talks with the Board of Commissioners about tax collections. Also pictured, seated from left, are county manager Rick Moorefield, deputy clerk LeAnn Honeycutt and county finance officer David Clack.
This total, which includes real property, personal property and motor vehicles, was part of the figure Spell tabulated in his final totals for the 2008-09 fiscal year.
This amount, Spell explained, was about $170,000 more than what the county received at the end of the 2007-08 fiscal year.
In addition to presenting how much the county collected in tax revenue, Spell also reported that the tax bills for the 2009-10 fiscal year were sent out to property owners last Friday.
Chairman Jarvis McLamb jokingly asked the tax administrator, “I didn’t get my tax bill. Does that mean that I will not get one?”
Spell answered that he would receive a bill, and then Spell asked the board to allow him to move forward with the collections for the new fiscal year.
However, before the board voted on the request, commissioner Jefferson Strickland asked about a change in policy for paying vehicle taxes. With this change, a person would be required to pay a vehicle tax at the time he receives his registration.
Spell explained that there has been another delay with the state establishing this policy, which has been in the planning stages for at least 12 months. The new law will start on July 1, 2011.
Commissioner Malachi Faison questioned what percentage of tax had been collected by county taxpayers.
The tax collector answered that he has received about 95 percent of the total taxes owed for 2008-09.
Faison then motioned for the board to allow Spell to move forward with tax collections. Commissioner Billy Lockamy seconded the motion, and it was approved unanimously.
Following the meeting, McLamb stated that the county will also continue with its strict enforcement of having employees pay their taxes this year.
“Employees should be the ones who pay their taxes. They should set the example,” said McLamb.
Last February, the board made the decision to reprimand county employees who did not pay their taxes after Moorefield informed the board that, at that time, some 100 employees had not done so. At the time, the county had a $900,000 deficit in tax collections.
However, McLamb explained that while there was the option to reprimand employees for not paying taxes, the only penalty that any employee was given was wage garnishment during the last year.
Katie Holland can be reached at 910-592-8137, ext. 136, or by e-mail at silife@myclintonnc.com.
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