County collector will collect City of Vienna’s taxes beginning this year

By Laura Schiermeier, Staff Writer
Posted 7/1/20

VIENNA — The Maries County Collector’s Office will begin collecting real estate and personal property taxes for the City of Vienna, beginning this year.

At the Vienna City …

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County collector will collect City of Vienna’s taxes beginning this year

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VIENNA — The Maries County Collector’s Office will begin collecting real estate and personal property taxes for the City of Vienna, beginning this year.

At the Vienna City Council’s June meeting, the council members passed Bill 20-01 authorizing the agreement between and county collector and the city for the collector to collect the 2020 taxes.

City Clerk Sherry James said the program she uses for tax collection is very old, a 1983 program that no longer works, and if she continued to collect the taxes, a new, expensive program would be necessary. She estimated the program to cost about $7,000 with an annual maintenance fee of about $700.

South Ward Alderwoman Brenda Davis said it is a little more expensive for the collector to do the tax collections but it will free up the city clerk’s time and it will be easier for taxpayers to just write one check to the county at tax time, which will include the city’s levy and city taxes. The cost to the city is 4.2 percent of the total city taxes the collector needs to collect.

Williams said the city approached her about doing the annual tax collection. She will charge 4.2 percent to collect current taxes and will charge 3.70 percent on delinquent tax collections. The city’s annual tax collections are about $50,000. Williams will provide the tax reports to the city. A fee of $450 already has been paid by the city for software development to recognize the city’s levy. Williams said her office has collected city taxes for Belle since 2003. She also collects for the City of Argyle from Maries County residents living there.

At the city council meeting, the bill authorizing the agreement was read and the city entered into an agreement with the County Collector and the Maries County Commission and it was approved.

In other business at the council’s June meeting:

• Kelsie Lineback, Maries County Extension Office Director, was at the meeting. She said the local extension office received a $500 tree planting grant from Central Electric Coop. They will order the trees in October and can get about 12 big trees. She asked if the city would like to use the trees for planting at the city park. They can choose from all types of trees.

The council members told her about the many trees they planted at the park a few years ago. Utilities Superintendent Shon Westart said they’d lost about 20 of those trees. Lineback said these trees will arrive in November or December.

South Ward Alderman Jesse Jones said there might be room for trees and the shade they will eventually give is welcome in the area behind the outfield of the softball field. The fence was moved in and created some space. Previously, they talked about putting a T-ball field in that area. Westart said they can find a spot for the trees. Lineback said the 4-H Club members will plant the trees. Davis asked that Westart works with Lineback on the project.

• The council members said they’ve not heard any more from Hippos, the marijuana cultivation license winner for the facility to be begun in Vienna at the former industrial development park. The company owns the spec building and the land now. The company is paying the city $5,000 a month for what it purchased.

It was noted the company has filed for tax abatements and can’t make announcements until that’s approved. Police Chief Shannon Thompson said the company may have received a Covid-19 extension. Originally, they were supposed to be in operation within 12 months of receiving the company receiving its permit.

• For the month, cash fund balances were reported: General Fund $15,764.48, Water Fund $34,732.26, Street Fund $38,562.89, and Sewer Fund $12,020.25.

Year-to-date fund revenues and expenditures were reported: General Fund revenues 325,532.20 and expenditures 303,761.79; Water Fund revenues 143,565.57 and expenditures 134,130.27; Street Fund revenues 96,003.42 and expenditures 45,326.57; and Sewer Fund revenues 73,359.26 and expenditures 34,089.