Back to News and Events Menu

NEWS RELEASE

July 3, 2008

Media Contact:

Howard County Department of Finance Apologizes for the Error

ELLICOTT CITY -- The Howard County Department of Finance yesterday discovered a problem with the return envelopes and coupons issued in 76,338 tax bills to owner-occupied residential properties. When the pre-printed coupon and payment are inserted in the return envelope, the return address is located in the wrong position and does not show through the envelope window.

“We discovered the problem yesterday when a taxpayer came in to pay his taxes and showed my staff the problem,” said Finance Director Sharon Greisz. “In the past, our tax bills have always been printed internally. 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 on the coupon. We apologize to anyone we have inconvenienced.”

Greisz continued, “The US Postal Service has assured us that they rely on the address barcode imprinted on each return envelope to deliver the mail; therefore there should be no problem delivering the this, and the tax payments will get to us whether the address shows in the window or not. The Department of Finance certainly wants to apologize for any inconvenience or concern this printing issue caused property owners.”

Taxpayers mailing their tax bill payments should not fold, staple or tape the coupon to force the address to show in the window, as this will cause problems. The payments go to an automated processing center that removes the coupons from the envelopes by a machine so it is important they are put in the envelope correctly.

Of the 76,338 tax bills that went out with the improperly printed coupons, approximately 54,000 are paid by mortgage companies on behalf of the homeowner. The remaining 22,000 property owners pay their taxes in person or by mail. The Department of Finance is working with the Office on Aging to get the word out to seniors since a higher percentage of seniors pay their taxes by mail or in person.

Residents are encouraged to call 410-313-2062 with any questions about their tax bills but are reminded that the first week after tax bills go out is often the busiest time of year for the department and it is not unusual to experience a busy signal.