Brazos County officials are expecting long lines Monday of people who waited until the last minute to pay their first installment on 2008 property taxes.

Anyone who selected the split-payment option must pay half of their property taxes by the end of Monday. Residents who did not sign up for the split-payment plan must pay their property tax bill in full by Jan. 31.

Those who do not pay on time will face late fees and interest payments.

Brazos County Tax Assessor and Collector Kristeen Roe said taxpayers will be able to complete their transaction with less stress and frustration by bringing their tax statements or a list of their properties. The tax office is not responsible for identifying the properties taxpayers are responsible for paying, she said.

The Texas Property Tax Code doesn't allow for exceptions for late payments. Any payments sent by mail must be postmarked by the due date.

"People just always run into a problem when they wait until the last day to mail them," Roe said. "The frustrating thing is, we really don't have the authority to extend the deadline. If you don't think you will get your mail postmarked on time, then we encourage you to use the drop box at the tax office or pay online."

The tax office accepts cash, checks, money orders, cashier's checks and credit cards. Payments may also be made online at www.brazostax.org with a transaction fee.

About 30 percent of the 90,000 property tax accounts take advantage of the split-payment method, Roe said. The split-payment method has been available since the 1980s, and the county encourages its use, she said.

"We have one of the highest percentages of people who use the split payment," she said. "I think most counties have about 15 percent take advantage of it."

IN SHORT

The first installment of property tax payments for residents who selected the split-payment option is due Monday.

* Payments can be made in person at the tax office, 300 E. William Joel Bryan Parkway in Bryan.

* Payments sent by mail must be postmarked by Monday.

* Credit card payments can be made by phone at 1-800-272-9829.

* Payments can be made online at www.brazostax.org; a service fee applies to online payments.

* The second installment for residents who chose the split-payment option will be due June 30.

* Residents who did not sign up for split payments must pay their property tax bill in full by Jan. 31.

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Posted by: Dassey On: 12/1/2008

Comment Title: Taxes
"...The tax office is not responsible for identifying the properties taxpayers are responsible for paying..." Wow, really? Then what do we pay them for? To collect money only? If that is the case I imagine we dont even need them. Why not just have a drop box or online payment system? If you dont have a computer, just go to the office and use one setup by them. No use in paying people to be unhelpful, we can let a computer do that.

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