November 16, 2015
Contact: Colene McEntee, Public Affairs Coordinator, 636-949-1864, cmcentee@sccmo.org
St. Charles County, Missouri - Over 300,000 tax bills will be mailed out starting Nov. 20, and this year St. Charles County taxpayers will notice that their bills look a little different – real estate and personal property bills are combined into one bill in one envelope.
“Our goal for this new way of doing bills is to make it easier on the taxpayer by putting both pieces into one envelope that is easy to recognize among all the mail received during this time of year,” said Michelle McBride, Collector of Revenue.
Taxpayers should note, however, that they could still receive separate real estate and personal property tax bills in separate envelopes if there are different name and address variations on real estate titles and personal property assessment forms.
“If you happen to receive multiple bills this year, make sure when you file your personal property assessment forms in 2016 that your name and address matches the information on your real estate title,” said McBride.
As in the past, taxpayers whose real estate taxes are paid from their escrow account will receive a copy of their tax bill for their records.
Taxpayers will also notice on their bill the return of Project CARE - an opportunity to help the community by donating $1, $5, or $10 to support local nonprofit agencies. Project CARE (Community Assistance Relief Effort) was established through an effort led by County Council Member Joe Cronin, District 1. Administered by McBride and supported by the County’s Community Assistance Board (CAB), the project helps support local nonprofit agencies that serve residents in need and receive support from the Indigent Fund within the County’s Community Assistance Fund. CAB administers the fund, and 100% of the donations will go to nonprofits designated to receive funds. Organizations that have received funds include Bridgeway Crider Center, Crisis Nursery, Sts. Joachim and Ann and Volunteers in Medicine. Donations are tax deductible.
How to pay your taxes and donate to Project CARE:
Donating to Project CARE is easy – just check the $1, $5, or $10 Project CARE donation box on your tax bill or online through the Collector of Revenue’s online tax payment and donation website and add that amount onto your tax bill payment. For example, if a citizen’s tax bill is $500 and she wanted to make a $10 donation, the total amount would be $510. Please note – a donation box must be clearly checked on the tax bill for any funds over the bill amount to go to Project CARE. Taxpayers can round up their bill and designate the additional funds be donated to Project CARE, but this must be clearly indicated when the payment is made for the donation to apply to the program.
• To pay your tax bill AND make a donation to Project CARE, you can pay by cash (in person only), check/cashier’s check/money order (payable to Michelle D. McBride, St. Charles County Collector), credit card (online only) or debit card (online only).
• To pay your tax bill ONLY, you can pay by cash (in person only), check/cashier’s check/money order (payable to Michelle D. McBride, St. Charles County Collector), credit card (by phone or online only), or debit card (by phone or online only).
Ways to pay:
• In person: From 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the St. Charles County Administration Building, 201 N. Second Street, St. Charles, first floor, at the payment windows or in the drop box in the lobby. There is also a drop box located on N. Second Street in front of the County’s Administration Building.
• By mail: Send to Michelle D. McBride, Collector of Revenue, 201 N. Second St., Room 134, St. Charles, MO 63301. Please do not send cash payments by mail. Mailed payments are accepted as of the United States Post Office postmark date.
• By phone (tax payments ONLY, no Project CARE donations): Call 1-800-272-9829, enter jurisdiction code 3513, and follow the prompts.
• Online: Visit www.stcharlesmocollector.org. Online payments are posted based on the online payment transaction date/time. Taxpayers who want to use their own financial institution’s online bill pay system need to initiate their payment at least five working days prior to Dec. 31, 2015, to ensure payment will be received by the Collector of Revenue’s office on time.
Additional tax bill and deadline information:
“When tax bills arrive, please look at the list of political subdivisions that receive the taxes you pay to understand where your tax dollars are going,” said McBride. “The bills detail the allocation of taxes to various entities, including the state, schools, cities, fire districts, library, ambulance, and dispatch and alarm.”
Each of the entities that receive a portion of the tax bill sets its own tax levy, known as the tax rate. The Collector of Revenue’s office is given the tax rates to collect and is responsible for distributing the taxes collected to the entities (also referred to as political subdivisions).
The assets listed on personal property tax bills should include everything owned on Jan. 1 of the tax year. All real estate owners should also receive a real estate tax bill(s). In addition to the owner of the real estate parcel(s) receiving bill(s), taxing services and mortgage companies receive an Electronic Bill File from the Collector of Revenue for use in paying from escrow accounts. Payment of the full tax amount is the responsibility of the current owner of the real estate (personally or from their escrow account).
Payments for 2015 taxes received on or after Jan. 1, 2016, are subject to late payment penalty and interest as required by state law. McBride encourages taxpayers to pay early to avoid any last minute issues. Failure to receive a bill does not relieve the taxpayer of any tax liability imposed by state law.
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