Mobile home tax bills have been sent out

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Saline County Treasurer and Collector Danny Ragan mailed 1,990 mobile home privilege tax bills to the manufactured home owners in Saline County on Friday. The taxes are due by July 6.

Any payment made after that date will incur a $25 a month (or part of a month) late fee, which can amount to $100 for the year. Failure to pay the late fee subjects the mobile home to the delinquent tax sale, which will be held later this year.

"The number of mobile homes in the county last year is 41 homes less than the previous year. Some of the older homes that had fallen into disrepair have been moved or destroyed by the owners or by the municipalities," Ragan said. "Since the tax advantage of buying a manufactured home ended as of December 31, 2010, there are not as many of them being moved into the county."

The period the taxes cover is from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011. If someone owned a mobile home during that period and does not receive a bill, the owner should contact the collector's office at (618) 252-6915. Failure to receive a bill does not relieve the owner of the responsibility to pay taxes.

If a mobile home owner also owns the lot, he or she will also get a real estate tax bill for the lot. Real estate tax bills will be mailed out this summer. Real estate bills may be sent later than usual this year, partially due to the demand on the assessor's office caused by the tornado.

The assessor, county clerk and collector all have duties to complete before sending the files to the next step. The three offices coordinate with each other in order to get the bills mailed as soon as possible to keep the due dates about the same time every year.

Privilege tax cannot be paid online or at the banks. The payments may be made in person, by mail or by depositing a check in the 24 hour courthouse drop-box.