More than 2,600 Monroe County residents will have their homestead credits removed on May 1 if they fail to respond to a final warning from the auditor’s office.
Monroe County Auditor Steve Saulter will be sending notices this week, through collection agency SRI Inc., informing residents that their homestead credits will end May 1. The homestead credit will still be in place on this year’s tax bills, but will be removed for tax bills mailed in 2014.
People who have their tax credits removed will have their names cross-checked through the database
to search for multiple homestead filings, and will be contacted if back taxes are owed.
to search for multiple homestead filings, and will be contacted if back taxes are owed.
Residents who have their credits removed owe an average of $6,000 in back taxes, according to Michael Horsley, who oversees homestead credits in the auditor’s office. With the help of SRI, the auditor’s office has collected $100,000 in back taxes this year, Saulter said.
For those whose homestead credits have already been removed, property taxes have doubled, Saulter said.
“It just seems like everything we’ve tried has not received mass results,” Saulter said. “I think we’ve given them more than a fair shake.”
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The auditor’s office extended deadlines, called residents and even placed a list of residents missing the form on the Monroe County website.
Those efforts managed to collect about 500 forms, but at some point, there has to be a deadline, Saulter said.
“We’ve tried to give the taxpayers every chance,” he said.
