Tax Department

Tax Collection

Tax bills are mailed on or soon after November 1. The first half is due by December 20. If the first half is not paid by then, it begins to accrue interest. If the first half is paid by December 20, the last half will be due by May 10 of the following year. Second half tax bills are mailed around the middle of April. If your property taxes are paid out of an escrow account, your tax bill will be sent to the mortgage company or bank that handles your escrow account.

If your property value goes up, it does not necessarily mean you will pay more taxes. Likewise, if your property value goes down or does not change, it does not automatically mean you will pay less or the same amount of taxes. Your property taxes are based on how much your local taxing authorities decide to spend
on services each year.

The first $2,300 in residential assessed value is exempt from statewide USD taxes.

Real Estate Taxes

After December 20 and until May 10, the first half payment plus interest can be paid. If not paid by May 10, the full tax plus interest must be paid. There is no longer the option of paying the first half. If taxes on your home are unpaid for three years, the property is subject to a tax foreclosure suit by the County. If taxes on an abandoned building are unpaid for one year, the property is subject to a tax foreclosure suit by the County. If taxes on any other property and/or vacant lots are unpaid for two years, the property is subject to a tax foreclosure suit by the County. Following the foreclosure, the property will then be sold at public auction. Anyone that has delinquent real estate taxes in the county cannot bid at these auctions.

Personal Property Taxes

After December 20 the full amount of personal property taxes are due plus interest. Full unpaid personal property taxes are sent to the Sheriff for collection in March. If the first half taxes are paid in December, the second half is due May 10. Second half unpaid personal property taxes are sent to the Sheriff for collection in August.

Mill Levies

The mill levy is the tax rate applied to the assessed value. One mill is one dollar per $1,000 of assessed value. Since 1996 the Legislature and Governor have reduced the statewide USD levy from 35 mills to 20 mills. The County Clerk computes the mill levies for cash local taxing authority by dividing the portion of the taxing authority’s budget that is property tax funded by the taxable assessed value in the taxing authority’s service area.

You can view and/or print our local Tax Levy Breakdown here.

Revenue from Property Tax Levies

Local taxing authorities do not receive more money by raising property values. Changes in property values do not change the amount of tax dollars needed for local services. A local taxing authority has authority to
levy tax on property within its jurisdiction based on the amount of money needed to provide public services. The local taxing authorities’ budgets are published, public hearings are completed, and budgets are set in August of each year.

The following is a list of the most common taxing authorities:

• Cemetery
• City
• Community College
• County
• Fire
• Hospital
• Improvement district for sewers, streets, water, etc.
• Local USD
• Public library
• Statewide USD
• Sewer-Water
• State
• Township
• Watersheds

Tax Roll Corrections

All tax bill corrections are issued by the Stafford County Appraiser. The County Clerk’s office receives this information and issues a corrected real estate or personal property tax bill. Reductions will be reflected on the second half payment if taxes are not paid in full. Fully paid taxes with a reduction will create an overage resulting in a refund.

Filing a Protest

1. If you have not had a meeting with the County Appraiser on the valuation of your property for the same tax year, you can file a protest. Protest forms are available from the County Treasurer.
2. Please read and follow the instructions on the form carefully for a successful appeal. Note: If the protest form is received in the Treasurer’s office unsigned, the protest will be considered invalid and will be returned to you. The delay may jeopardize your chances for a hearing.
3. Tax protest forms must be completed, then signed before sending to the Treasurer’s office on or before December 20. If the taxes are paid by an escrow agent in full (not first half), you have until January 31 of the following year to file your protest.
4. You must keep a copy of the protest form. You will need to use this form to file the protest with the Board of Tax Appeals if you are not satisfied with the County’s
   decision.
5. The County Appraiser will contact you to schedule an informal meeting after the County Treasurer forwards your protest form to the Appraiser. If you are filing a protest on the basis of an illegal tax levy, an Appendix must be completed and attached to the protest form. Those protest forms will be mailed by the Treasurer to the State Board of Tax Appeals. No informal hearing will be held with the Appraiser in the case of illegal tax levies.
6. If you are successful in your appeal and your taxes are reduced and result in a refund, payment will be issued upon the Treasurer receiving a correction from the County Appraiser’s office.

Mortgage Company Payments

If you have an escrow account for your real estate taxes with a mortgage company, the  mortgage company should receive the tax statement. If you do receive the tax statement instead of the mortgage company, we ask you to forward it to the mortgage company so they can pay taxes from the escrow account. We also ask you to have your current mortgage company notify the County Treasurer’s office so that we can get the correct billing information from them.

Mortgage companies are required by Federal Law to make half payments, so they will be paying taxes on or before December 20 and on or before May 10.

Past due notices are sent to the homeowner, not to the escrow agent. If the mortgage company was to have paid these taxes, you must inform them that the Treasurer’s office for the County did not receive the payment. If there are any questions, the mortgage company needs to call the County Treasurer’s office at 620-549-3508.

Delinquent Taxes

Delinquent real estate taxes not paid within three years are referred to the County Counselor
for foreclosure action, thus putting the property in jeopardy of being sold at auction. Details of Tax Foreclosure Sales may be obtained by reading the publication in the St. John News.

Publication of Delinquent Real Estate Taxes:

Prior to current year delinquent taxes being put in the delinquent records of the Stafford County Treasurer, they are published in the official county newspaper (i.e. St. John News) for three consecutive weeks in August in accordance with the provisions of K.S.A. 79-2301 to 79-2323a.

Publication of Delinquent Personal Property Taxes:

Personal Property taxes that are unpaid October 1 of the current tax year are published in compliance with K.S.A. 19-547 for three consecutive weeks in October in the official county newspaper (i.e. St. John News).