Hello, my name is Scott Felten and I am the new Mower County Auditor-Treasurer.  I was elected in November 2018 and took office in January 2019.  I am getting familiar with the duties and responsibilities of this position.  I am working with the knowledgeable staff in my office to identify ways to be more proactive, helpful, and efficient in serving the county’s taxpayers.

Of the many duties for which the auditor-treasurer’s office is responsible, perhaps the most visible one is property (real estate) taxes.  2019 property tax statements were mailed out on March 29, about two weeks earlier than last year.  If you did not receive your statement, please contact our office at 507-437-9535 as soon as possible as it may have been returned to us if your current address is not on file in our tax system.

For first half property taxes, the payment due date is Wednesday, May 15, and it is fast approaching.  Penalties for late payment begin to be assessed the day after each payment due date and interest begins to be added each month if still unpaid on Jan. 2 of the following year.  Many people have already mailed or stopped in to our office to pay their taxes, with some taxpayers having paid their second half installment as well – thank you!

Property taxes can be paid by one of the following methods:  in person, by phone, or by mail, using cash, check, or credit card.  Our office is located in the Mower County Government Center, 201 First Street NE in Austin and we are open from 8 a.m.to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday.  If paying by mail, tax payments must be postmarked no later than May 15 to be considered as timely paid.

After May 15, you can get set up to have your future property taxes paid by automatic withdrawal from your bank account by completing an authorization form and returning it to us.  That way you won’t forget to pay your property taxes.  Check out the county’s website or contact our office for more details on this.

When paying your property taxes, please remember to include the first half payment stub from your tax statement when mailing in payment or coming to our office to pay so we can efficiently and accurately apply your payment.  This is especially important for those who own many parcels as it is the taxpayer’s responsibility to know if they are paying for all their parcels.  This will also help to make the lines that form at our office during this time of year move a little faster, which will make everyone happier.

The detail of what makes up the special assessment dollar amount shown on line 13 of your statement is listed on the left hand side of your statement near line 13.  All city and rural property owners are assessed a recycling fee for this important county-wide program.

If you have questions about property taxes, please call our office at 507-437-9535.  I hope to write future periodic articles talking about various topics like property taxes, the 2020 Census, the presidential nominating primary, elections, etc.  Throughout the year, please check the auditor-treasurer’s page of the Mower County website for reminders and information about these items as well.  Our office has also set up a Facebook page, www.facebook.com/Mower-County-Auditor-Treasurer-Office-425092028322302,/ as another method for providing information to the public.