A Note from The Trustee's Office

I hope this finds everyone doing well and enjoying these nice summer days. As of this writing Lewis County has $242,748.46 in uncollected property taxes. Lewis County’s property tax aggregate for total property taxes to account for was $4,474,997.35, we have collected 94 percent of that total.

Each year I liked to remind everyone that you are able to make partial payments on property taxes once you receive your bill in October. We do not have a minimum amount you must pay.

What exactly does the Trustee do? A county Trustee is the banker for the county essentially. Our office not only collects property taxes, but also all other revenue is received by the office, receipted and accounted for. The County, School, and Highway department submits payrolls, as well as vendor checks to our office to be verified prior to distribution. It is also our responsibility to keep accurate fund balances for these departments in which they balance back to at months end. A county trustee is responsible for investments of idle funds. These investments may be in the form of certificates of deposits, money market accounts, ICS accounts, as well as other means deemed safe that will yield a good return.

One misconception is that a county trustee sets the tax rate or appraises property. The tax rate is set by the county legislative body, while appraisals are done by the property assessor.

When buying or selling property the taxes are normally prorated in the closing. For example; the tax year runs from January through December. If you bought a home or piece of land in July the seller (unless another agreement is made) would be responsible from January through July, the buyer then would be responsible from July through December. Again, this is all information that would be included in the closing paperwork, normally.

It is very important to make sure we have the correct mailing address. Mailing address can be updated in the property assessors. We make every effort to track down an address when tax notices are returned to us by the post office.

Phone payments can by made by calling 1-866-348-7525 or online at http://www.citisenportal.com and of course the office at 110 N. Park Room 101.

Thank you for allowing us to serve Lewis County.

Mike Webb, Trustee