By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
As the old adage goes, there is nothing certain except death and taxes. Part of that certainty has included receiving those property tax statements in the mail. Barton County Treasurer Jim Jordan announced at Tuesday's commission meeting that property owners will have options beginning with this year's tax statements.
"This year when they get their tax statement they'll have a little code in there," he said. "They can go to a website, fill it out, and be able to get their taxes emailed to them. Once taxes are ready next year, we'll send an email out to everybody that says they can get their taxes online."
Jordan said the county sends approximately 61 cents a parcel to mail the statements, but the email system would cost the county just 14 cents per statement. Opting into an emailed statement is entirely up to property owners, and Commission Chair Shawn Hutchinson saw the benefits of the new system.
"If somebody has 15-20 properties, all those properties are going to one email," he said. "They don't have to go to every one of those mailboxes or change the mailing addresses for each property to get them all in one place. That will be handy."
In an effort to increase transparency, this year's tax statements will also feature a pie chart showing the general allocation of tax dollars in Barton County and how each taxing entity increased or decreased tax rates from the year before. Property-specific pie charts will be available via the county website by CLICKING HERE.