Taxpayers should be on lookout for statements

By Melinda L. Lucas

About 25,000 tax statements will be mailed in the next couple of weeks, as local property owners find out what they will owe in taxes for this year.

Assistant appraiser Clayton Snyder at the Shackelford County Central Appraisal District (CAD) office stated that tax rates for all eight county taxing entities are being entered and calculations are scheduled to be finished by the end of October.

“We’re in the process of generating the tax statements this week, so that we can send the file to the printer,” said Snyder on Tuesday. 

Statement Details

For the fifth year, statement files will be uploaded electronically to a mailing company for processing and distribution.

“Until 2015, the mailing was done by the local staff, but it’s actually much more efficient for us to use an outside mailing company,” said Snyder. 

The mailing company is located in Abilene and will mail from there, but Snyder reminded local taxpayers that if they receive multiple statements, the documents may arrive on different days.

“They may not all be mailed at the same time, so if you’re expecting four or five statements, give them a few days to get to you,” he said.

All statements should be in the mail within the next week.

“Iif you are expecting a tax statement and you do not receive one by the end of October, you need to contact the district and make sure that your address is correct,” said Snyder.

Payment Process

Snyder reminded taxpayers that they are responsible for paying their taxes even if they don’t receive a statement.

“If your address has changed, for instance, and we weren’t notified, a taxpayer is still legally required to pay his taxes on time,” he explained. “So if you know you owe taxes, and you don’t receive a statement for some reason, you need to call us.”

He explained that a tax obligation is just like a credit card. 

“Even if you change addresses, you still owe that money,” he said, “and you will be charged interest if the payment is late.”

There is no link on the CAD’s website that will allow taxpayers to make address changes online, but property owners can always click on “Contacts” and send an email with address updates, said Snyder.

Changes can also be called in to 325-762-2207.

“The notices state that taxes are payable starting Oct. 31, but they aren’t past due until Feb. 1, 2019,” said Snyder. 

CAD Board Meeting

At the most recent meeting of the CAD board, directors voted to adopt the 2020 CAD budget, with expenditures, including a $5,000 litigation fund balance contribution, totaling $387,522. 

This amount is 3.88 percent over the 2019 budget.