County goes easy on military families who pay property taxes late

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ST. JOSEPH COUNTY ? There is less than a month until St. Joe County property taxes are due, but military families whose spouses are on active duty can get a bit of a break if they can’t pay right away.

The Service Member’s Civil Relief Act is a federal law saying military members can only be charged a flat 6 percent late fee, no matter how long it takes to pay.

However, the county clerk-treasurer does have to be notified before the payment is due. For civilians, if you are late with property tax, it is a five percent fee if you pay within 30 days. After that it goes to 10 percent.

St. Joe County taxes are due December 11. Elkhart County’s bills were due this week. Property tax payers there were only given two weeks to pay after they got the bill in the mail.