Long List of Delinquent Taxpayers Means Less Money for Public Services

The list of delinquent taxpayers is hot off the press and 775 names fill newspaper pages. The Buchanan County tax collectors office originally had 850 names on it`s list but that number dropped since last month. Tax collectors say some people traditionally pay just enough to get their property off the sale list but they also run into families who`ve fallen on hard times and simply can`t afford to pay. Tax collectors also see a lot of last minute pay offs but this time around that hasn`t been the case. Chief Deputy Collector Peggy Campbell said, "We expected the phones to be ringing off the hook early this morning but they weren`t. It`s been fairly we quite. We don`t know if it`s because the funds aren`t there and people can`t pay it or if people already knew it was going on and called in prior." Campbell says taxpayers who know they`re going to be on the list can save big bucks by making payments before delinquents names are printed in the newspaper. The newspaper fee is passed on to the tax payer. Those taxpayers who pass on paying up are costing you where it counts. That means the highway on which you drive, the school`s your children attend and emergency personnel`s equipment. They all depend on tax revenue from you. The public service agencies who need delinquents dollars to exist. When a fire or emergency hits you depend on your local fire department. Assistant Chief of the Southern Buchanan County Fire Department Mike Curran said, "We depend on our tax dollars. So if people don`t pay their taxes we don`t get the money." Twelve fire districts will not see almost $12,000 dollars due to delinquent real estate tax payers. Curran says that money is a must for a new communication system. Curran said, "With St. Joseph and Buchanan County going to a 100 megahertz system we need to be able to communicate with them too." Inside the South Central Buchanan County Fire Station a 30 year old fire truck makes hundreds of trips, some that save lives. Firefighters don`t know how long the aging engine will last and replacements are costly. Curran says it will cost about $300,000-$400,000 dollars to replace. Firefighter oxygen tanks are also on their last leg but that`s not all. Curran said, "We need money for upkeep on buildings and fuel prices are going up." He says It costs about 150 bucks to fill up a fire truck, stretching a tight budget to the limit, something every volunteer fire station can understand. Curran said, "Some smaller departments are in more need than we are as far as equipment goes." St. Joseph`s public libraries also feel the pinch. The missed tax money amounts to about $90,000 bucks that would`ve helped to build book collections. St. Joseph Public Library Director Mary Beth Revels says the libraries depend on tax money. Revel said, "We can always order more books always offer more services for community we provide programs. You know those aren`t free everything we do costs money it costs money to keep the buildings open." Tax delinquents will cost the community education, safety and more. Revel said, "Just keeping this library open for the children, teenagers, adults is important. A library is a place for everyone in the community and I think that`s a great reason to pay your taxes." Taxpayers have one month to pay up or they might loose something of their own...their property. If the people on the list don`t pay up by August 28 their property will be auctioned off. That excludes delinquent tax payers from 2005.