Delay might force schools to get loan

Property tax assessment notices will be mailed Friday to Columbia County homeowners and businesses.

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Chief Tax Appraiser Debbie Robertson confirmed last week that her office is on schedule to send out notices Friday, about three months later than normal.

Typically, assessment notices are sent during the second week of May.

The delay was caused by passage of House Bill 233, which imposes a moratorium on property assessment increases for the next three years.

However, the law does not freeze the value of properties that decrease in value. Properties sold during the moratorium period are taxed at their moratorium value, unless improvements are made.

The county Tax Assessor's Office has had to have an extensive software upgrade to reconcile the changes, and tax officials were unable to send out the notices by May.

The delay might force school officials to seek a loan of up to $20 million to keep the school system afloat while they await the tax revenues.

Once the assessment notices are mailed, the Tax Commissioner's Office must wait 45 days -- the amount allotted for property owners to appeal the assessment -- before sending out tax bills. The law allows owners 60 days to pay.

Jan. 15 will be the deadline to pay tax bills.