Tax Division
Tax Collection
/ Mill Levies /
Revenue from Property Tax Levies / Tax
Roll Correction /
Filing a Protest / Mortgage Company Payments
Delinquent Taxes /
Frequently Asked Questions /
Forms Available*
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County Treasurer's office at
cotreas@stjohnks.net.
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Tax bills are mailed on or soon after November 1. The first half is due by December 20. If the first half is not paid by then, it begins to accrue interest. If the first half is paid by December 20, the last half will be due by May 10 of the following year. Second half tax bills are mailed around the middle of April. If your property taxes are paid out of an escrow account, your tax bill will be sent to the mortgage company or bank that handles your escrow account.
If your property value goes up, it does not necessarily mean you will pay more taxes. Likewise, if your property value goes down or does not change, it does not automatically mean you will pay less or the same amount of taxes. Your property taxes are based on how much your local taxing authorities decide to spend on services each year.
The first $2,300 in residential assessed value is exempt from statewide USD taxes.
After December 20 and until May 10, the first half payment plus interest can be paid. If not paid by May 10, the full tax plus interest must be paid. There is no longer the option of paying the first half. If taxes on your home are unpaid for three years, the property is subject to a tax foreclosure suit by the County. If taxes on an abandoned building are unpaid for one year, the property is subject to a tax foreclosure suit by the County. If taxes on any other property and/or vacant lots are unpaid for two years, the property is subject to a tax foreclosure suit by the County. Following the foreclosure, the property will then be sold at public auction. Anyone that has delinquent real estate taxes in the county cannot bid at these auctions.
Personal Property Taxes:
After December 20 the full amount of personal property taxes are due
plus interest. Full unpaid personal property taxes are sent to the Sheriff
for collection in March. If the first half taxes are paid in December,
the second half is due May 10. Second half unpaid personal property
taxes are sent to the Sheriff for collection in August.
The mill levy is the tax
rate applied to the assessed value. One mill is one dollar per $1,000
of assessed value. Since 1996 the Legislature and Governor have reduced
the statewide USD levy from 35 mills to 20 mills. The County Clerk computes
the mill levies for cash local taxing authority by dividing the portion
of the taxing authority's budget that is property tax funded by the
taxable assessed value in the taxing authority's service area.
You can view and/or print our local Tax Levy Breakdown here.
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Acrobat Reader to view and/or print out the following form.
To download free, click on the icon below.
If you have trouble accessing this form, request it at
prattco@pratt.net.
Revenue from Property Tax Levies
Local taxing authorities do not receive more money by raising property
values. Changes in property values do not change the amount of tax dollars
needed for local services. A local taxing authority has authority to
levy tax on property within its jurisdiction based on the amount of
money needed to provide public services. The local taxing authorities'
budgets are published, public hearings are completed, and budgets are
set in August of each year.
The following is a list
of the most common taxing authorities:
Cemetery
City
Community College
County
Fire
Hospital
Improvement district for sewers, streets, water, etc.
Local USD
Public library
Statewide USD
Sewer-Water
State
Township
Watersheds
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All tax bill corrections are issued by the Stafford County Appraiser. The County Clerk's office receives this information and issues a corrected real estate or personal property tax bill. Reductions will be reflected on the second half payment if taxes are not paid in full. Fully paid taxes with a reduction will create an overage resulting in a refund.
1. If you have not had a meeting with the County Appraiser on the valuation of your property for the same tax year, you can file a protest. Protest forms are available from the County Treasurer or online below.
You must have Adobe
Acrobat Reader to view and/or print out the following form.
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prattco@pratt.net.
2. Please read and follow the instructions on the form carefully for a successful appeal. Note: If the protest form is received in the Treasurer's office unsigned, the protest will be considered invalid and will be returned to you. The delay may jeopardize your chances for a hearing.
3. Tax protest forms must be completed, then signed before sending to the Treasurer's office on or before December 20. If the taxes are paid by an escrow agent in full (not first half), you have until January 31 of the following year to file your protest.
4. You must keep a copy of the protest form. You will need to use this form to file the protest with the Board of Tax Appeals if you are not satisfied with the County's decision.
5. The County Appraiser will contact you to schedule an informal meeting after the County Treasurer forwards your protest form to the Appraiser. If you are filing a protest on the basis of an illegal tax levy, an Appendix must be completed and attached to the protest form. Those protest forms will be mailed by the Treasurer to the State Board of Tax Appeals. No informal hearing will be held with the Appraiser in the case of illegal tax levies.
6. If you are successful in your appeal and your taxes are reduced and result in a refund, payment will be issued upon the Treasurer receiving a correction from the County Appraiser's office.
If you have an escrow account for your real estate taxes with a mortgage company, the mortgage company should receive the tax statement. If you do receive the tax statement instead of the mortgage company, we ask you to forward it to the mortgage company so they can pay taxes from the escrow account. We also ask you to have your current mortgage company notify the County Treasurer's office so that we can get the correct billing information from them.
Mortgage companies are required by Federal Law to make half payments, so they will be paying taxes on or before December 20 and on or before May 10.
Past due notices are sent to the homeowner, not to the escrow agent. If the mortgage company was to have paid these taxes, you must inform them that the Treasurer's office for the County did not receive the payment. If there are any questions, the mortgage company needs to call the County Treasurer's office at 620-549-3508.
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Delinquent Taxes
Delinquent real estate taxes not paid within three years are referred to the County Counselor for foreclosure action, thus putting the property in jeopardy of being sold at auction. Details of Tax Foreclosure Sales may be obtained by reading the publication in the Stafford Courier.
Publication of
Delinquent Real Estate Taxes:
Prior to current year delinquent taxes being put in the delinquent
records of the Stafford County Treasurer, they are published in the official
county newspaper (as designated by the Board of County Commissioners*)
for three consecutive weeks in August in accordance with the provisions
of K.S.A. 79-2301 to 79-2323a.
Publication of
Delinquent Personal Property Taxes:
Personal Property taxes that are unpaid October 1 of the current tax
year are published in compliance with K.S.A. 19-547 for three consecutive
weeks in October in the official county newspaper (as designated by
the Board of County Commissioners*).
*Stafford Courier
Q. When should I receive
my tax bill?
A. You should receive your real estate and personal
property tax statement for the current year by the middle part of
November. If only the first half of the current year taxes are paid
in December, the second half tax statements are mailed out in Mid
May. If the full amount was paid in December, you should not receive
a second half statement.
Q. What if my mortgage
company pays my real estate taxes and I received the tax bill?
A. If you have an escrow account for your real
estate taxes with a mortgage company, the mortgage company should
receive the tax statement. If you do receive the tax statement instead
of the mortgage company, we ask you to forward it to the mortgage
company so they can pay taxes from the escrow account. We also ask
you to have your current mortgage company notify the County Treasurer's
office so that we can get the correct billing information from them.
Q. What should I do if
I don't receive a tax bill?
A. If you are to receive a statement but do not
by the end of November, please contact the County Treasurer's office
at 620-549-3508.
Q. When are my real estate
taxes due?
A. If you are responsible
for paying taxes on a home or other
real estate property, the full amount could be paid or the half amount
on or before December 20 of that tax year. If the first half is paid,
the second half of that year's taxes are due on or before May 10
of the following year.
Mortgage companies are required by Federal Law to make half payments, so they will be paying taxes on or before December 20 and on or before May 10.
Q. What
happens if I don't pay my real estate taxes on time?
A. If the first half
of the current year real estate taxes are not paid by December 20,
interest will start accruing December 21. You should receive a delinquent
real estate tax reminder the first week of January.
If the mortgage company was to have paid these taxes, you must inform them that the Treasurer's office for the County did not receive the payment. If there are any questions, the mortgage company needs to call the County Treasurer's office at 620-549-3508.
You or the mortgage company can pay the first half of the current year taxes with interest up until May 10. After May 10, if the first half of the real estate taxes has not been paid, the full amount of the current year tax plus interest will have to be paid. If the current year tax has not been paid by the first of August, there will be an additional fee of $15.00 for advertising. Stafford County is required by Kansas State law (KSA79-2303) to publish a list of unpaid real estate taxes.
If taxes go unpaid by the first Tuesday after the first Monday in September, taxes will be put on the delinquent tax roll, and it becomes a lien on the real estate. If you want to pay delinquent years, Kansas State Law (KSA79-2401A) requires that the most delinquent year be paid first. Example: If you have taxes owing for 2000, 2001, and 2002, the full amount for 2000 must be paid before payment for the 2001 and 2002, or, of course, you can pay all the years at once.
Q. When would my real estate
property be up for tax sale?
A. Real estate property taxes three years delinquent
are subject to a tax foreclosure action and public sale.
Q. When are my personal
property taxes due?
A. The first half of the personal property taxes
are due on or before December 20. If you pay the first half of the
personal property taxes in December, the second half is due on or
before May 10 of the following year.
Q.
What happens if I don't pay my personal property
taxes on time?
A. If the first half
of the personal property taxes are not paid by December 20, the full
tax amount plus interest becomes due, starting December 21. Delinquent
notices for personal property are sent out the third week in February.
If they are not paid, warrants are issued. Warrants are issued 30
days after notices are mailed. Tax warrants go to the County Sheriff
for collection of delinquent taxes, interest, and sheriff fees. Payments
are payable to the County Sheriff.
If you paid the first half of your personal property taxes on time, the second half of the personal property taxes are due on or before May 10. If these taxes are not paid by May 10, interest will begin to accrue.
Delinquent personal property tax notices are mailed on or before July 27. If they are not paid, tax warrants are issued by August 15. All delinquent personal property tax must be paid at the County Sheriff's office. Kansas State Law (KSA79-2017) requires delinquent personal property to be advertised in October. If you have any previous years owing on personal property tax, they must be paid at the County Sheriff's office.
Q. What is the interest
charged on delinquent taxes?
A. At the current time, it is 7% annually.
Q. What type of payment
is acceptable for tax payment?
A. You may use a personal check, money order,
cashier's check, or cash.
Q. To whom do I make my
check out?
A. For real estate and personal
property tax statements and reminders, make checks payable to Stafford
County Treasurer. For personal property tax warrants, checks should
be made out to Stafford County Treasurer.
Q. Where can I pay real
estate and personal property taxes?
A. You may pay your taxes at our office located
at the Treasurer's Office, County Courthouse, 2nd Floor, 209 N. Broadway,
St. John, KS.
Q. To where can I mail
my tax payment?
A. The Stafford County Treasurer, 209 N. Broadway,
St. John, Ks. 67576