Garfield taxpayers receive revised bills

Garfield residents can now join the rest of Whitman County in paying their property taxes after the county straightened out its tax billing.

The county treasurer’s office sent out revised statements to approximately 360 Garfield taxpayers Tuesday afternoon with correct amounts due. Original statements sent out last month included inaccurate information.

Garfield taxpayers now have 30 days to pay their first half taxes before late fees are assessed. First half taxes are typically due by April 30, but Garfield residents will be allowed an extension to May 20.

Treasurer Robert Lothspeich said Tuesday the problem was in the new TerraScan software system used by both his office and the office of Assessor Joe Reynolds.

The original statements said taxpayers in Garfield owed a total of $20.09 per $1,000 of assessed property to the town’s taxing districts. The correct number was $17.49.

Lothspeich said the new software had a “glitch” that doubled billed the city’s $2.64 per $1,000 street levy.

The treasurer and assessor’s offices have been working for more than a year to implement the complex new software system, which replaced software from the mid-1980s.

Many of the Garfield payments returned with the first tax statements were mailed back to taxpayers with the corrected statements for lower amounts.

Those who made first half payments that were cashed before the error was caught will have their second half taxes reduced.

Those who paid the full year’s taxes with the first statement received refund checks for the difference.

Lothspeich’s letter to taxpayers included an apology for the inconvenience and thanked Garfield residents for their patience.