By Mac Cordell and Kayleen Petrovia
Marysville, Plain City push back deadline; property tax date unchanged
Local officials are working to give residents some relief in filing and paying their taxes.
Last week the federal government announced it would extend the usual April 15 deadline for filing and paying income tax to July 15. Earlier this week, Ohio lawmakers passed legislation to offer the same extensions for state income tax payers.
Marysville and Plain City will also give tax payers until July 15 to file and pay municipal income tax. Richwood officials have said village council needs to make the final decision, but they believe Richwood will too.
Marysville City Manager Terry Emery said this is “a critical time” to be sensitive to the needs of the public.
He said given the financial struggles many are suddenly having along with the stress of dealing with the COVID-19 epidemic, “we just felt this was the appropriate decision.”
Emery said that in addition to income tax filings, first and second quarter estimated tax payments normally due April 15, 2020 and June 15, 2020 are “eligible for deferral without penalties and interest.”
“The incurred penalties and interest applied to all payments due January 15, 2020 and before will not be waived,” Emery said.
Emery said “only time will tell” if the delay causes any problems for the city.
“We just don’t know,” he said.
Emery said the city is already taking steps in anticipation of next year’s income tax receipts being lower.
“We are really going to be strongly evaluating some of our budget areas to see what is essential and what is not entirely essential,” Emery said.
Richwood officials said they are waiting for direction from state officials.
“It looks like we are going to do what the state tells us we have to do, but it still needs to go through village council,” said Richwood Mayor Scott Jerew.
Plain City is also following the actions of the state and will delay the deadline for filing income taxes.
Village Income Tax Administrator John Hunter said the village deadline is dictated by that of the state, according to the Ohio Revised Code.
“We have to follow the ORC, which says we can’t have a filing deadline earlier than the state of Ohio,” he explained.
For that reason, he said Plain City’s deadline is dependent on the decision made at the state level.
Hunter said individuals who have questions about filing their taxes are welcome to call him for advice at (614) 873-3527 ext. 104.
Although village offices are currently closed to the public in light of the COVID-19 outbreak, Hunter said he can walk residents through questions over the phone. Residents have the option to file taxes online by visiting https://www.plain-city.com/income-tax.
He said his biggest piece of advice for residents is to ensure they need to file taxes with Plain City before doing so.
“The number one thing is to make sure you live in the village before you file. I get a lot of people filing in Plain City who might not actually need to,” Hunter said.
Marysville is also offering help for taxpayers with questions.
“In lieu of our typical walk-in service, a drop-off return preparation service is now available,” Emery said.
He explained that residents wanting help with their City of Marysville return can leave their tax information in the drop box behind City Hall.
“Our team will then prepare your return, contact you with results and mail the prepared return to you,” Emery said.
He added, “this service is free.”
While the doors are closed, Emery said city tax officials are still available to answer city tax questions by phone at 937-645-7350. Taxes may also be filed online at www.marysvilleohio.org.
Income tax and utility payments can be made using the drive-thru drop box behind City Hall, online at marysvilleohio.org, by phone at (937) 645-7350 or by e-mail at utilities@marysvilleohio.org and incometax@marysvilleohio.org.
While the county relies on property tax, not income tax, county officials said they are also looking at ways to help taxpayers. The problem, said County Commissioner Chris Schmenk, is that they aren’t sure how.
Schmenk said county officials believe property tax collection dates are set by Ohio Revised Code.
“We don’t think we have the power to delay that, but it is definitely something we want to look at and confirm,” she said, explaining that county officials are talking with their respective associations to see what can be done.
The commissioner said with restaurants and many stores closed, sales tax “will be down rather dramatically.” She said there is no sales tax on carry out or many groceries.
Additionally, she said the county receives about $50,000 a month in casino revenue.
“Every month they are closed, we are losing that money,” Schmenk said.
She said the county has asked department heads and elected officials to “join with us in eliminating all discretionary spending.”
“We know we need to tighten spending,” Schmenk said. “We do have reserves and we believe we will be fine. We may have to dip into our reserves.”
The county moved into 2020 with $17.6 million in unencumbered carryover funds.