More than 1,000 Baxter County propert owners will see reductions in the number of $18 fees assessed to pay the debt incurred in purchasing the NABORS waste hauling operation and local landfill, as work continues to fine-tune the payment process.
The $18 annual assessment against each residence and business parcel in the six-county Ozark Mountain Solid Waste District follows a Pulaski County Circuit Court judge’s order in April 2017.
In a town hall meeting in Mountain Home in late March, the court appointed receiver, Geoffrey Treece of Little Rock, noted he would continue to review particular circumstances brought to his attention, including multiple fees for property owners with adjacent parcels.
Baxter County Assessor Jayme Nicholson says after many conversations on behalf of the property owners with Treece and the countys software provider, she and Collector Teresa Smith will be removing the $18 fee from non-business barns, utility buildings, and additional adjacent and non-adjacent improved parcels to residences and businesses. The exception will be persons or businesses owning multiple rental properties, which will continue to receive an $18 fee per parcel.
Nicholson says this development means residents will not have to pay multiple $18 fees per household. Businesses with adjacent parcels doing business under the same name will not be duplicated.
Nicholson says fees will remain for commercial and industrial improved business parcels, including every improved parcel unless there are duplicate adjacent and non-adjacent parcels for the same business.
Fees will also remain for residential houses and mobile home parcels, including improvement only parcels where mobile home owners dont own the land or any other parcels considered to be a residence.
The third remaining fee will be for agriculture commercial businesses, such as hog farms, chicken and turkey farms and cattle farms. This does not include hobby farms. Nicholson says if the farm is in business to make money, it will be charged an $18 fee.
Nicholson says she and Collector Smith ask for patience from property owners as they work with their software provider to make these corrections. She says they will need to carefully audit their list and make corrections in order to provide affected property owners with a corrected statement.
For those who have already paid their 2017 tax bill, they may receive a refund if this new change applies to them.
Nicholson emphasizes the final changes will not affect all property owners. Those property owners with only one $18 dollar fee on their tax statement will probably not receive a correction. For those with two improved parcels, such as a residence and a rental house, will still receive two $18 fees.
Those with questions after receiviing corrected statements or those who believe they should have received one but did not, may contact the Baxter County Assessor’s office at 870-425-3453 or the Baxter County Collector’s office at 870-425-8300.
This modification is the second approved by the court appointed receiver. In late March, the $18 annual assessment fee against private boat dock, cell tower and billboard business parcels to pay the debt incurred in purchasing the NABORS waste hauling operation and local landfill was removed.
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