**THE TAX OFFICE IS MOVING TO THE NEW COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER**

Many San Marcos-area Hays County offices are moving during December into the new Government Center at 712 S. Stagecoach Trail, just west of IH-35 off Wonder World Drive, turn at the bottom of the train track overpass.

The offices that are moving will be closed for varying amounts of time to accomplish the move and will RE-OPEN at the GOVERNMENT CENTER.

Please call before going if your plans include visiting one of these offices during its planned move dates, but please remember that phone and email service may be briefly interrupted:

The Hays County Tax Assessor-Collector Office will be closed at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30 through 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5. Re-opens 8 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6.

 

 

 New Web Site Offers User-Friendly Tax Search
Luanne Caraway, Hays County Tax Assessor-Collector, has recently launched this new web site, which offers county taxpayers with internet access the ability to search, view and pay taxes online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

This new site allows you to search by owner name, street, owner ID or property ID. You can also narrow your search by year and pay status.
Taxpayers can now update their mailing address, view tax statements and review their property tax history. In addition, multiple tax bills can be paid in one session using our shopping cart feature.

You may securely pay online via by using a debit or credit card. Credit cards transactions are charged a 2.2% convenience fee. You may also pay by check for a $2.00 convenience fee. These fees are not charged by the Tax Assessor-Collector's office; they are charged by a third-party vendor.

Avoid Penalties by Paying Promptly: Hays County Tax Bills Heading Your Way Soon

Dripping Springs ISD statements will be mailed separately

Hays County Courthouse, San Marcos, TX – Annual tax statements will be mailed the week of October 24, and payment is due on receipt, according to Hays County Tax Assessor-Collector Luanne Caraway.

“We will send out approximately 80,000 statements for a total of $215 million,” Caraway said. The statements include levies from all taxing entities in the county, except for the Dripping Springs ISD, for real property, personal property and business taxes. Dripping Springs ISD has scheduled a tax ratification election for November 8, and bills for the school district taxes will be mailed out after the results of that election are certified. At the proposed tax rate of $1.62 per $100, the DSISD taxes would add about $41 million, bringing the total to $256 million, some $16 million more than last year.

Caraway urged residents to avoid penalties for late payments by paying promptly and by paying as much as possible by Tuesday, January 31, 2012, if they are unable to pay the full amount. Penalty and interest begin at 7 percent on February 1 and increase 2 percent per month until July when the penalty and interest reach 18 percent. In July, a collection penalty of 15 percent is added and the interest continues to accrue at an additional 1 percent per month.

The Tax Office accepts partial payments on current and delinquent taxes but they must be received by January 31 to avoid penalties for 2011.

“If you do not receive a tax bill and do not have a mortgage company or tax agent, please contact our office to make sure that we have your correct billing address, or visit the Tax Office website at www.hayscountytax.com to check your account,” Caraway said. “Under state law even if you don’t get a statement you are still responsible for paying your property tax.”

Residents who are 65 and older or disabled qualify for quarterly payments for their homestead property and no penalties or interest is assessed if those payments are received on time. To qualify, residents must file for this exemption and make the first quarter payment by January 31. Remaining quarterly payments are due by March 31, May 31 and July 31.

The Tax Office accepts cash, checks, money orders, credit cards and electronic check payments – there is a fee for using credit cards, debit cards and electronic checks.

 Payments can be made at any Hays County tax office. The main office, currently located at the Hays County Annex Building, 102 N. LBJ Drive, San Marcos, will be moving to the new Hays County Government Center in late November. It is currently scheduled to be closed from noon November 30 through Friday, December 2, and reopen Monday, December 5, at 712 S. Stagecoach Trail. Customers are encouraged to call before coming to that office to verify it is open. The San Marcos office can be reached at 512-393-5545. Payments mailed on or after November 1 should be sent to the new address, 712 S. Stagecoach Trail, San Marcos, TX 78666.

Other tax offices are located in Buda at 500 Jack C. Hays Trail, Kyle at 111 N. Front Street and Dripping Springs at 195 Roger Hanks Parkway. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Kyle office closes from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. each day, and the Dripping Springs office is closed from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Fridays. To pay by phone, call 1-888-546-4337. To pay online, go to the Hays County website or directly to tax information at www.hayscountytax.com.

 

 

 

** Property tax bills for 2011 will be arriving in the mail next week.  For those in the Dripping Springs School District, the school tax will not be included due to the tax ratification election being held November 8, 2011.  Following the election, a bill for Dripping Springs I.S.D. will be sent out.

 

 

 

New Web Site Offers User-Friendly Tax Search
Luanne Caraway, Hays County Tax Assessor-Collector, has recently launched this new web site, which offers county taxpayers with internet access the ability to search, view and pay taxes online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

This new site allows you to search by owner name, street, owner ID or property ID. You can also narrow your search by year and pay status.
Taxpayers can now update their mailing address, view tax statements and review their property tax history. In addition, multiple tax bills can be paid in one session using our shopping cart feature.

You may securely pay online via by using a debit or credit card. Credit cards transactions are charged a 2.2% convenience fee. You may also pay by check for a $2.00 convenience fee. These fees are not charged by the Tax Assessor-Collector's office; they are charged by a third-party vendor.

 

Hays County Holiday Schedule 2011 - 2012

2012	2012
New Years	Monday, January 2
Martin Luther King's Birthday	Monday, January 16
President's Day	Monday, February 20
Good Friday	Friday, April 6
Memorial Day	Monday, May 28
Independence Day	Wednesday, July 4
Labor Day	Monday, September 3
Columbus Day	Monday, October 8
Veteran's Day	Friday, November 12
Thanksgiving	Wednesday, November 21 Thursday, November 22 Friday, November 23
Christmas	Monday, December 24 Tuesday, December 25 Wednesday, December 26
2013	2013
New Years	Tuesday, January 1
Martin Luther King's Birthday	Monday, January 21
President's Day	Monday, February 18
Good Friday	Friday, March 29
Memorial Day	Monday, May 27
Independence Day	Thursday, July 4
Labor Day	Monday, September 2
Columbus Day	Monday, October 14
Veteran's Day	Monday, November 11
Thanksgiving	Wednesday, November 27 Thursday, November 28 Friday, November 29
Christmas	Tuesday, December 24 Wednesday, December 25 Thursday, December 26