ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – On New Year’s Eve we saw dozens of taxpayers lined up at the St. Louis County government building in Clayton trying to beat the deadline to pay their property tax bills.
“I actually paid my taxes Nov. 30, but the system is showing I have a balance due,” county resident Peggy Taylor said on Dec. 31.
Taylor’s problem a month ago is what Tim McCabe and thousands of other country residents are still dealing with as February approaches.
“I watch my checks to see what’s cleared and what’s not. To date, both of those checks still have not cleared. To me, we’re getting to late January now. Checks that were written in early December should be processed by now, in my opinion,” he said.
On Jan. 16, the county addressed the issue on its website, saying the County Department of Revenue has been significantly impacted by sporadic mail delivery due to winter weather.
The county described the postal delay as a “double whammy,” adding, “Our Collector of Revenue division was already struggling with a 40% staffing vacancy headed into tax season in 2024, but we had a plan and were determined to make it successful.”
The county said it hoped to have a majority of payments posted by the end of January.
“So will these be processed by the end of January?” FOX 2’s Mike Colombo asked.
“We won’t have all of December’s payments processed by the end of January. It’s looking now like hopefully by the middle of February,” St. County Director of Revenue Tony Smee replied.
Smee understands taxpayer concerns about penalties or interest charges showing up on their accounts despite paying on time.
“So if they’re postmarked prior to Dec. 31, they will not have to pay any late fees, even if they’re payment has not yet been processed?” asked Colombo.
“That’s correct,” Smee said. “I feel for those folks who’re waiting on that check to clear. That’s bad enough. It’s super tough for those who have vehicle plate renewals in January that are waiting on a receipt. There’s just nothing we can do about that.”
So, when might the county process the property tax payments it has received?
Smee says the target date is Feb. 8.
McCabe added, “Countywide, this is probably a big revenue stream for them. The fact they haven’t cashed the checks is problematic.”
Until the problem is solved, it’s a story FOX 2 will continue to follow.