At a time when most county governments are already facing a dip in revenue, Dade County officials also are seeing more delinquent property taxes than ever before.
Dade Tax Commissioner Jane Moreland said her office sent out about 1,000 collection letters to residents in the last two weeks, requesting payment for past-due property taxes. The number of letters is about 200 more than the office sends out most years, she said.
“There’s never been that many,” said Ted Rumley, Dade County executive and chairman of the County Commission.
Through Friday, a little more than one-third of the people receiving letters have responded, leaving about $80,000 still owed, Ms. Moreland estimated.
Bills for property tax were sent out in October, and those who still hadn’t paid by the end of May got “intent to FIFA” letters, explaining that a lien would be placed on the property if the taxes were not paid. FIFA is short for “fieri facias,” which means “cause it to be done.”
County officials say job cuts due to the recession are the likely cause for the increased number of delinquencies. Dade residents lost 400 jobs in December when the Shaw Industries plant closed, Mr. Rumley said, and other workers have been laid-off or seen their hours reduced at other companies around the region.
“We have a lot of people in Dade County who are out of work,” Ms. Moreland said. “I’ve had several people call me personally and tell me, ‘We’ve not worked in nine months’ or ‘No one in the house is working and we’re just doing the best we can living day to day.’”
Since the letters went out, the office has seen a “good response” from people paying their bills, according to officials.
For the county, unpaid taxes exacerbate an already rough financial picture, according to Mr. Rumley. County Clerk Don Townsend said sales tax revenue was off by about 10 percent so far this year.
“Because the sales tax is off, that puts more pressure and all of the other revenue generators in the county,” he said.
Mr. Rumley remained hopeful, saying sales tax revenues usually pick up during the summer vacation season. This season, though, he’s worried there may not be as much of a boost.
“I’m not really looking for it to jump out and be all that great,” he said. “You can’t spend money if you don’t have it.”
Andy began working at the Times Free Press in July 2008 as a general assignment reporter before focusing on Northwest Georgia and Georgia politics in May of 2009. Before coming to the Times Free Press, Andy worked for the Anniston Star, the Rome News Tribune and the Campus Carrier at Berry College, where he graduated with a communications degree in 2006. He is pursuing a master’s degree in business administration at the University of Tennessee ...
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