Franklin County offers tax help for furloughed federal workers

Furloughed federal employees will be given expedited consideration for relief on pending property tax bills under an initiative announced by Franklin County Treasurer Cheryl Brooks Sullivan.

“Hopefully, we can alleviate some of the stress and at least one area of concern ... they must be feeling at this point,” Sullivan said during a news conference Monday outside a federal building Downtown. “We want to assure them that local government is actively pursuing support for them.”

Franklin County collects property taxes for the first half of the year in January. The deadline for payments is Jan. 22. There are more than 430,000 parcels in the county subject to property taxes.

Programs already are in place through the treasurer’s office (online at treasurer. franklincountyohio.gov or by phone at 614-525-3438) to help property owners facing changes in their financial circumstances to avoid default.

Federal employees who have been furloughed or who are working without pay will be given expedited consideration for those programs on their owner-occupied properties, meaning a waiver of late fees and an extension on payments.

Sullivan said eligible federal employees need to submit the requisite applications, provide proof that they have been furloughed, contact her office and speak to a staff member to make the arrangements.

Sullivan said her office does not have an estimate of how many of the 6,500 federal employees in the area who have been furloughed will be eligible for property tax extensions.

Other county agencies and private service providers have implemented or are considering comparable moves. AT&T, for example, has announced flexible payment options and waived late fees for furloughed federal workers.