Not that most people want to do that, but county Treasurer Francis King on Friday unveiled a new feature to the county's Web site that allows property owners to pay their real estate tax bills online, at their convenience.
The county becomes just the second in the state to make such a service available. "Allegheny County has been online with their payments for about three years," said King. "I do not know of any other counties accepting online payments." Montgomery County accepts online payments for delinquent taxes, but not those currently owed, he said.
In addition to making payments, residents also can search assessment and tax payment data for any property in the county, simply by typing in the property parcel number or the owner's last name.
King said he has been trying to add online payments for several years, and in fact, made it part of his re-election campaign two years ago.
He said he has received requests for several years from people who wanted online payment capability, a number of them Peters Township residents.
"It's a drive here for them, and I think this will be an added convenience for them," King said.
In 2004, the county commissioners included $11,500 in King's budget to allow it to contract with RBA Associates of State College to develop the payment interface, which was added to the county's existing Web site. The county's information technology and tax assessment offices assisted in development.
After logging onto the county's Web site, a property owner can reach the payment form with several mouse clicks. The taxpayer then types in his or her checking account number and the money is electronically transferred from the account.
King said the system uses a high-security Internet service company to process the payments.
The taxpayer will receive an e-mail confirmation that the transaction was processed and can almost immediately view the account online with taxes paid.
But convenience does not come without a price. Those using the online service will be charged a $2 fee. King explained that the county must pay the Internet company, ITI Internet Services, $1.50 per transaction, and the fee should "come out as a wash" for the county.
He also stressed that those paying online won't have to drive to the county treasurer's office, pay for parking and stand in line. Payments can still be made by mail.
While Allegheny County allows property owners to pay their taxes using a credit card, King said he decided against doing so because the credit card companies charge a fee of about 3 percent for the transaction that he would have to pass on to the taxpayer.
He said he may consider adding credit card capability in the future, since it allows payments to be spread out. The county's service does not allow partial payments.
The site also does not allow for payment of delinquent taxes, and property owners must still go to the county tax claim bureau for those transactions.
The county sent out about 100,000 tax bills on Tuesday, which include a notice to taxpayers that the online service is available. Taxes can be paid at the discount rate until March 31.
King said five or six taxpayers already have paid electronically, even though the service has not been publicized, and he hopes that about 500 people will use it this year. Eventually, he hopes that about 25 percent of property owners will pay electronically, which should help cut his office's workload.
King said the online payment capability is the first step in bringing county "e-government" services to residents. While people can download forms and view election results on the county Web site, this is the first time payments can be made online.
He said the project was feasible in Washington County, because it is one of just six counties in the state in which the treasurer's office, rather than local tax collectors, is responsible for collecting county taxes.
Autor: Linda M. Ritzer
Quelle: Observer Reporter, 08.01.2005
