Stark property taxes due Feb. 22 for first half of year

Paige Bennett, The Repository
·4 min read

It's time again to pay real estate taxes.

Stark County property owners must pay taxes for the first half of the year by Feb. 22. Taxes for the first half of the year for manufactured homes are due March 1.

Checks or money orders should be made payable to the Stark County treasurer. Taxpayers should submit the bottom portion of their tax bill along with their check or money order and include their parcel number/s on their check.

Payments postmarked after Feb. 22 will receive a 10% penalty charge. Payments must be postmarked by the U.S. Postal Service as private mailing machines are no longer acceptable. Interest is charged twice annually (Aug. 1 and Dec. 1) on certified unpaid balances.

The first half of manufactured home taxes must be postmarked by March 1 to avoid the 10% penalty and interest.

Stark County Treasurer Alex Zumbar said his office sent out approximately 181,857 bills on Jan. 19 and 20.

"The first half we're going to collect a little over $220 million dollars and that's what's due now," Zumbar said. "We do bill the entire year, but that's not what's due the first half."

The total for the year will be around $448 million, Zumbar said.

Deputy Treasurer Deana Stafford said some taxpayers pay the entire year in the first-half bill, which can cause the numbers to fluctuate from the first to second half.

Bills for the second half of the year will be sent out in June and due in July.

This year's first-half bills are green. Stafford said in the past the first-half bills were pink and the second-half bills were blue, but the treasurer's office decided to make both bills the same color for consistency.

"We're going to keep those bills the same all year round," she said.

The county treasurer does not have the authority to increase or decrease real estate taxes. These changes can be attribute to valuation changes, tax levies or bond issues voted on or passed in a property owner's tax district, according to a news release from the treasurer's office.

Anyone interested in challenging the value of their property must file a formal appeal by March 31 through the Board of Revision. Contact the Stark County Auditor's Office at (330) 451-7998 or visit starkcountyohio.gov/auditor to download the the appeal form.

How can I pay my property taxes?

Payments made by mail before the due date should be addressed to the Stark County Treasurer, P.O Box 24815,Canton, OH, 44701-4815. Payments submitted after the due date should be addressed to the Stark County Treasurer at 110 Central Plaza South, Suite 250 Canton, OH, 44702-1410.

Taxpayers can pay their bills in person in the treasurer's office located on the second floor of the Stark County Office Building at 110 Central Plaza S, Suite 250 or deposit their checks and bill stubs into the drop box located in the Stark County Office Building lobby.

Other options include:

  • By phone with a credit card by calling 1-877-690-3729 and using the jurisdiction code 4518. Taxpayers will be charged a convenience fee.

  • Online using a credit card on the Stark County Treasurer's website. Taxpayers will be charged a convenience fee.

  • Online using your bank's online bill pay. Contact your bank to schedule a payment. It should be made payable to the Stark County Treasurer and mailed to 110 Central Plaza S, Suite 250, Canton, OH, 44702. Use your parcel number as your account number. Each parcel number must be paid as a separate transaction.

  • In-person at one of the kiosk locations at the Alliance BMV/Title Office at 513 E. Main Street, Alliance; the North Canton BMV/Title Office at 3179 Whitewood St., NW in Plain Township or the Massillon AAA/Title Office at 1972 Wales Avenue NE, Massillon.

Taxpayers can also sign up for the treasurer's office's monthly prepayment program. This allows individuals to pay their property taxes in monthly installments instead of a large lump sum twice a year. These payments are automatically withdrawn from a taxpayer's checking or savings account. To sign up, contact Rick at 330-451-7814 Ext. 7824 or rlreigle@starkcountyohio.gov.

Another option is the semiannual automatic withdrawal plan, which allows the treasurer's office to automatically withdraw your property tax payment from your checking or saving account when tax bills are due in February and July. To sign up, contact Richard at 330-451-7814 Ext. 7819 or rcwillaman@starkcountyohio.gov.

Where should I call for questions?

  • Questions on real estate tax payments: (330) 451-7814

  • Questions on agriculture: (330) 451-7294

  • Questions on Homestead: (330) 451-7323

  • Questions on property values: (330) 451-7085

  • Questions on tax liens: (330) 451-7814 Ext 7986

  • Questions on prepayments: (330) 451-7814 Ext 7824

  • Questions on delinquent contracts: (330) 451-7814 Ext 7821 or Ext 7823

  • Questions on manufactured home taxes: (330) 451-7814 Ext 7819

Reach Paige at pmbennett@gannett.com, (330) 580-8577 or on Twitter at @paigembenn.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark property owners must pay taxes by Feb. 22