Budget votes don’t effect local taxes

Property owners to get bills in Fall months that are due in December

Despite the dispute between county commissioners over the FY 2017 budget, one thing remains the same in Polk County: everyone has to pay their taxes.

Just like Benjamin Franklin’s old quote, it remains one of two certain things in life and those property tax bills will be going out in the fall no matter what happens with the coming year’s budget.

Tax Commissioner Dorothy Wood said that with the commission voting to keep the same millage rate of 11.061 mills from 2015, most tax bills won’t even change from last year.

The Polk County Board of Education also set their millage rate last week at 16.15 mills, a roll back from 2015’s rate of 16.18 mills and a third year in a row the school board has given money back to taxpayers, according to chair Harold McDurmon.

“Assessments have already been handled and turned into the office,” she said.

She said that unless property owners received a notice their property was being reassessed and that their tax rates were changing because the value increased or decreased, bills should read the same.

All tax bills for Polk County have to be sent out by Oct. 1.

Bills are due by Dec. 1 for local property owners to pay off their 2016 taxes.

As far as what happens to all that money as it comes in, County Manager Matt Denton explained that overall, everything operates as it normally does.

The only difference is that county employees and administrators have to keep track of every dollar received and spent since July 1.

“We’re keeping track of the percentage of the budget that has been received as revenue, right now from fines and fees since taxes haven’t started coming in,” Denton said. “So we’ll go back and apply what we’ve done based on the revenue and expenditures that will be in the budget the commission will eventually approve.”

The overall message Denton and Wood want people to remember: pay taxes.

“People still need to pay their taxes like normal,” Denton said.