As the end of the year rapidly approaches, so does the Dec. 31 deadline for property taxes. Property owners are afforded a three-month window in which to pay their taxes.

“We sent out a card around the 25th of September with the amount of taxes and our address. They can mail it or deliver it, either way,” Marengo County Revenue Commissioner Bo McAlpine said. “They are due Oct. 1 and they are delinquent Dec. 31. You’ve got three months to pay them.”

Taxes paid after Dec. 31 incur a penalty based upon how late they are received.

“The penalty for delinquent taxes after Dec. 31 is $10 plus three percent of the bill,” McAlpine said. “Month of February, another $10 goes on. In March, it would be $20 and the certified mail cost plus the three percent. About the end of March, there is the advertisement cost and that depends on the number of words that go in the paper.”

McAlpine said the funds received from property taxes are used to bankroll various projects at the county and state level.

“It goes to the county, the state, the cities, the schools and the volunteer fire departments,” McAlpine said. “In the county, some of it goes to the roads and bridges to keep your highways up and then to the general fund.”

Taxes can be paid either in person and the Marengo County Courthouse or by mail.

“We take cash and check, no credit cards, no debit cards or anything like that,” McAlpine said. Payments can be mailed to :

W.J. Bo McAlpine

Revenue Commissioner’s Office

Marengo County Courthouse

101 E. Coats Ave.

Linden, AL 36748