Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton Property tax payers in Warren County will receive two bills - one in March and one later in the summer - starting next year.

For many years, property tax payers in Warren County have received one bill each year.

Starting in 2025, taxpayers will receive two.

“The county and municipality tax bills would be delivered to property owners on or about March 1,” Chief Clerk Pam Matve said. “These will be separate from the mailing of school district tax bills which will continue to occur each August.

The budget year for county and municipal government runs with the calendar while the Warren County School District’s budget runs from July 1 through June 30.

For decades, the county has had to borrow to cover operational costs in the late summer months before tax dollars start rolling in. At times, that’s been formal borrowing through a tax anticipation note. At other times, the county has borrowed from internal savings to cover that period.

“Interest rates are very high,” Commissioner Dan Glotz said. “It seems kind of not good financial management to incur those kinds of interest rates when that money could be used for operations of the county.”

“This will allow the community to pay smaller amounts at two different times, instead of the whole amount with the same due dates,” Matve explained.

Glotz said there might be a decrease in the number of properties that go delinquent in light of the change.

It’s too soon to say whether the county will be able to avoid borrowing entirely with this change.

“We’ll see revenue coming in earlier in the year,” Glotz said, “which we can then avoid (borrowing) as a bridge.

“I think it will help us budget,” he added.