County taxpayers who haven’t yet paid their 2016 property taxes still have a few more weeks, but are urged to pay their bills now or take a chance on paying a much higher rate to get their bills back later on this year.

Tax bills, which can now still be paid at the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, will be turned over to the county clerk’s office at 4 p.m. on Monday, April 17 and at that time, may be subject to be sold to third party entities, that can charge legal and other fees that could cost taxpayers more than twice the amount of their delinquent bills, according to Clinton County Clerk Shelia Booher.

Booher said that normally the bills are turned over to her office on April 15 of each year, but due to the courthouse being closed on both Friday and Saturday, April 15 and 16 for the Easter holiday, the date of the transition will be two days later than normal.

Over the years, the number of delinquent property tax bills in Clinton County has slowly decreased, according to clerk’s office records. For example, last year (which would have been the 2015 tax bills), 307 delinquent bills was turned into her office. This compares to 321 received in 2015 (2014 tax year) and all the way up to 534 delinquent bills that were purchased by third parties back in 2012.

Booher notes that the decrease in numbers is partly accredited to the fact that many taxpayers in the county have come to realize the cost of having their bills purchased by a third party, thus raising the price out of their own pocket to get the tax bills, sometimes, she added, up to three times the amount of the bill itself.

Booher said that some five companies were on the list to purchase delinquent bills last year, including REX Tax Liens and Tax Merchants LLC, both of Bardstown; REX Tax Liens and Mid-South Capital Partnership, both of Lexington, and LSS Affiliates LLC of Bowling Green. Companies have yet to register to be on the list, but will do so later in the year, she added.

In 2015, there was a total of $110,394.99 worth of delinquent taxes in Clinton County.

Once the county clerk’s office obtains the tax bills, that amount of payment will increase approximately 50 percent, Booher noted. Property owners have until the date of the actual tax sale sometime in September to pay, with the tax sale date to be published this summer.

Booher noted that at the time of the sale, third party purchasers may buy any delinquent bill. And, if purchased, that company can charge additional fees well beyond the actual amount and warns that some of those purchasers charge up to triple the amount of the original amount of the delinquent bill for a property owner to get their tax bill returned to them.

“I urge all county taxpayers with delinquent bills to pay them before the close of day Monday, April 17, or at least prior to the actual tax sale, Booher added.

She concluded that once a tax bill is bought, a lien can be put on the property and it (property) can’t be sold until the lien is released, saying it was about like having a mortgage on your property.”