Don’t Miss the Deadline! Pay Your Tax Bill On Time

January 27th, 2015

Mike SullivanMike Sullivan Offers Extended Hours to Help Taxpayers

The Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office will offer extended hours at all locations and branches to ensure taxpayers can pay their bills on time.

“After positive response last year and good feedback, I am again offering this service to assist taxpayers who might have trouble getting off work in time,” Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector Mike Sullivan said.

His office will be accepting customers later into the evening on Jan. 30 and Feb. 2 from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Property tax bills are due by Feb. 2. On Feb. 3 unpaid accounts will be considered delinquent and a 7 percent penalty and interest will be added to the amount due.

“I will have 227 staff members at 16 branches ready to answer questions and process requests. It’s my goal to create the very best customer service experience possible,” Sullivan said.

Taxpayers who wish to pay their property taxes can do so by mail, by phone (713-274-2273), online at www.hctax.net or in person at any Tax Assessor-Collector’s branch offices throughout Harris County.

“If you have any questions, please contact my office by phone or email. My office number is 713-274-8000, and email is [email protected]” Sullivan added.

The Harris County Tax Assessor-Collector’s Office Property Tax Division maintains approximately 1.5 million tax accounts and collects $5.6 billion of property taxes for 70 taxing entities.

 

CCISD Projects Lower Tax Rate for 2013 Bond

July 1st, 2014

ccisd copyBy Mary Alys Cherry

Clear Creek ISD had some very favorable news for taxpayers at its May school board meeting – that the maximum tax rate increase for its 2013 bond is projected to be 8.5 cents or 2.75 cents less than authorized by voters when they went to the polls last May.

At that time, a tax rate increase of 11.25 cents to fund $367 million in bond projects was approved by seven in ten voters. However, as a result of favorable interest rates and conservative financial planning, the maximum tax rate increase is projected now at 8.5 cents.

“This 2.75 cent savings on the tax rate represents a substantial positive impact for the taxpayers of Clear Creek ISD,” said Paul McLarty, deputy superintendent of business services. The school board adopted a variable-rate plan to finance $150 million of the of the first $200 million bond sale last December at an average rate of 1.31 percent.  The remaining $50 million was placed at a fixed rate of 3.4 percent.

The combination of the very low variable rate debt, combined with better than expected fixed rate debt, provided the district with an estimated $51 million in interest rate savings through the life of the bonds, McLarty told the school board trustees.

“CCISD is consistently watching the interest market and refinances debt at lower rates no different than people do on their own homes,” Communications Director Elaina Polsen said. “Over the last ten years, these efforts have led to a $35.8 million in interest savings of previous bonds.”

The bond news came just before CCISD broke ground on two bond projects – one of which was the $98 million Clear Lake High School rebuild project with projected completion in January 2017. Hundreds of families, former alumni and faculty toured the 1970s building one last time and enjoyed a food-fair hosted by Clear Lake High School clubs, Polsen said. Groundbreaking for the $30 million McWhirter Elementary rebuild was held Thursday, May 29, she added.

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