Counties have mailed property tax bills; deadline is Dec. 31

SIKESTON — Property tax bills have been mailed, and residents should begin finding them in their mailboxes, if they haven’t already.

Scott County Collector Mark Hensley said residents could have received their statements as early as Nov. 6.

“This year we’re doing something new and we’re collecting taxes for some cities,” Hensley said.

Scott County will now collect taxes for the following cities: Scott City, Commerce, Kelso, Diehlstadt, Morley and Miner.

“We’ve had a lot of requests for that service,” Hensley said. “Several of the counties in the area already do that, such as Mississippi, New Madrid, Perry, Cape and Butler.”

Residents of these six cities will receive their county and city tax bills together on one bill, he said.

“Hopefully its convenient for the taxpayers. That’s our desire and vision,” Hensey said.

Combining the bills also helps those cities out, especially the small towns, he said.

“I know it’s been a plus for the counties and cities who are already doing it. We hope it is a service to the people. That’s what were trying to do,” Hensley said.

Hensley also said this year Scott County residents will notice the line item that used to read “Sheltered Workshop” will now read “SB40” on their bill.

The tax itself is the same, but the name of it on the bill has changed, Hensley said. SB40 is actually the official name for the community sheltered workshop, which is why it’s now reflected that way on the bill, he said.

“As always, we are here to serve the public. If they receive their tax bills and something is not listed that should be or they have a questions, they need to contact our office so we can fix it,” Hensley said.

Scott County residents can pay their taxes online at www.scottcocollector.com, at Hensley’s office at the courthouse in Benton or at one the satellite offices during the hours of 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.: Monday at Scott City; Tuesday and Thursday in Sikeston; and Wednesday in Chaffee.

“We have sent out the tax bills,” said New Madrid County Collector Dewayne Nowlin. “We put a lot of information inside as far as what they need to know.”

Nowlin said New Madrid County’s tax statements were mailed earlier this month. New Madrid County residents can pay online at newmadridmo.devnetwedge.com or use the night drop box, he said.

Mississippi County Collector Cyndi Hensley said she’s excited to announce that for the first time ever, her office will be accepting debit/credit cards this tax season along with the option to pay online with their new website at www.missmocountycollector.com (convenience fees apply). This website can also be used to print copies of statements and receipts, she said.

Payment may also be made with cash, personal check, money order or cashier check in the office between 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and the office remains open during lunch.

“For your convenience a new secure drop box is located at the north door entrance of the Courthouse,” Hensley said. “Absolutely no cash is to be deposited into the drop box.”

Residents should inspect their tax statements to verify they have received them all and that information is correct, she said.

To avoid late fees, residents should ensure their payment is postmarked no later than Dec. 31. Partial payments are not accepted. Failure to receive a tax statement does not relieve the taxpayer’s obligation to pay taxes plus any penalty and interest that may apply, Hensley said.