Letter: Please don’t be late with property taxes this year

Editor,

Taxpayers of Island County, please take note. Property taxes are due April 30, 2019. Please mail early.

When you mail your tax payment from your home or drop it off at the post office mailbox, it is routed to Seattle, where it is postmarked and processed the next day. It is then routed to Whidbey Island, where it is delivered to our PO Box in Coupeville the following day.

State statutes dictate that your postmark date determines your payment date and that 1 percent interest per month begins accruing on the first day of the following month.

This means that if you put your payment in your mailbox on April 30, it will be collected by your mail carrier and routed to Seattle where it will be processed and postmarked May 1. When we receive your payment on May 2 or later, your payment will be credited as of the postmark date and you will be short May interest.

As of June 1, if still unpaid, an additional 3 percent penalty on the entire 2019 amount will accrue — again by statute. These charges cannot be waived.

Please save yourself time, money and frustration by mailing a few days early – say, on April 25 or so – to avoid any late charges. To sign up for auto-pay or for tax payment reminders, visit our website.

Wanda J. Grone

Island County Treasurer