By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Homeowners in Kansas can expect their property tax statement on or after Nov. 1, but no later than Dec. 15 each year. Printing and mailing the tax statements is the job of the county treasurer's office. But the process begins long before that when taxing entities submit their budgets to the county clerk. Barton County Treasurer Jim Jordan said tax statements are again running behind because that information was not submitted on time to County Clerk Bev Schmeidler.
"We depend on a lot of other counties to get their stuff in," he said. "If there's one person that doesn't get it in, it sets us way behind. That happened again this year. They didn't get their budgets into Bev in time."
Treasurer's office staff often bears the brunt of public discontent about property taxes. Jordan reminds taxpayers that his office is merely the gatekeeper for all taxing entities in the county. In other words, the treasurer's office has not raised taxes.
"Keep in mind, we do not generate anything," Jordan said. "The only reason our name is on the tax statement is because that's where you have to mail your check. Other than that, we have nothing to do with it other than we're in charge of printing and mailing it. All we do is collect."
Jordan's office disperses tax money collected to those taxing entities five times throughout the year. Jordan said as of Nov. 12, the clerk's office had all the abstract tax rolls completed. That information is then sent to Topeka for approval before local tax statements can be mailed.