SAN ANTONIO — It was a day that filled the hearts of Bexar County property owners with dread, as it does every year.
January 31 is the final day to pay city and county property taxes without having to pay a penalty.
The tax assessor-collector, Albert Uresti, knows people like to hold onto their money until the last minute. So his office extended hours for people to meet the deadline. On Wednesday, a heavy but steady line of people showed up all day.
Even though the crowds amounted to thousands of people, Uresti said that, for most, the wait for service was between five and 10 minutes.
One man who used the convenient curbside drop-off service outside the building said "it's good. It's very professional."
A woman who said paying in person at the last minute is an annual tradition said, “I do it just to be safe. I don't know. I just like to come in person.”
Uresti said the tax bite this year isn't as bad for many property owners.
"Your school taxes went down," he said. "There's an exemption that was increased from $40,000 to $100,000, so it's a good thing. And our senior citizens saw bigger increases because of the tax freeze; we went back and re-calculated those for them."
Irene Ortega was another customer who prefers to show up in person. Ortega said she did see a drop in the total amount of tax due, close to $400 or $500. Laughing, Ortega said: “Yes it was good for me this year!"
Uresti said even though many people wait until the last minute, Bexar County actually has one of the best records in the state for people who pay their bills on time. He said because the office offers so many payment options, their collection rates have been steadily increasing as they try to work with owners so they don't fall behind.
Uresti said paying even a portion of the bill on time is important because state law mandates that penalties begin in earnest the very next day.
"If you're not on one of our payment plans, it's very important that you come in because the state mandates a 7% penalty (starting Thursday), so even if you don't have your entire payment, it's important you come in and pay what you can so you won't be charged 7% on the entire bill."
Drop boxes at four county locations accepted payments through midnight Wednesday, Uresti said.
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