County mails faulty envelopes with tax bills
Officials say not to worry, though
By Jennifer Broadwater
Posted 7/03/08
More than 75,000 property tax bills recently issued to Howard County residents include defective return envelopes and payment stubs.
When the pre-printed payment stub is inserted into the return envelope, the county’s address does not show through the envelope’s window.
The county Department of Finance discovered the problem July 2 when a taxpayer alerted county staff that the document and envelope were not aligned properly, said Sharon Greisz, the county’s finance director.
“In the past, our tax bills have always been printed internally,” she said. “This year we decided to switch to an outside printing company because it would save the county $15,000 annually. Unfortunately, we did not double-check the positioning of the return address ... We apologize to anyone we have inconvenienced.”
Those who mailed a payment to the county without noticing the envelope’s defect need not worry about their payment, Greisz said, adding that the U.S. Postal Service relies on an address barcode printed on the envelopes to deliver the envelopes.
Of the 76,338 tax bills the county mailed to owner-occupied residential properties, approximately 54,000 are paid by mortgage companies on behalf of the homeowner, while roughly 22,000 of the bills are paid by the property owner, according to county officials.
If residents have questions about their tax bills, they may call the department of finance at 410-313-2062.
When the pre-printed payment stub is inserted into the return envelope, the county’s address does not show through the envelope’s window.
The county Department of Finance discovered the problem July 2 when a taxpayer alerted county staff that the document and envelope were not aligned properly, said Sharon Greisz, the county’s finance director.
“In the past, our tax bills have always been printed internally,” she said. “This year we decided to switch to an outside printing company because it would save the county $15,000 annually. Unfortunately, we did not double-check the positioning of the return address ... We apologize to anyone we have inconvenienced.”
Those who mailed a payment to the county without noticing the envelope’s defect need not worry about their payment, Greisz said, adding that the U.S. Postal Service relies on an address barcode printed on the envelopes to deliver the envelopes.
Of the 76,338 tax bills the county mailed to owner-occupied residential properties, approximately 54,000 are paid by mortgage companies on behalf of the homeowner, while roughly 22,000 of the bills are paid by the property owner, according to county officials.
If residents have questions about their tax bills, they may call the department of finance at 410-313-2062.
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