COVID-19: Olmsted County Considering Property Tax Extension
Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Olmsted County Board is considering extending the due date for first half property tax payments in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
A proposal up for discussion at the commissioner's next meeting on Tuesday calls for postponing the due date from May 15th to July 15th because of the financial impact of the executive orders issued by Gov. Tim Walz that closed down bars, restaurants, and many other businesses and the Stay at Home order aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19. Mark Krupski, the Olmsted County Director of Property Records and Licensing, will be presenting a review of the situation, options available to the County Board, and the likely consequences of an extension.
Because the county collects property taxes for cities, school districts, and townships, it sought out responses from those other government entities that would be affected by the delayed property tax payments. As of late last week, the county had heard from the City of Rochester, Byron, Dover, Eyota, the Rochester School District, and five of the county's townships. All of them expressed support for the extension but also noted property owners not experiencing financial hardship should be discouraged from taking advantage of the proposed plan.
The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce has been pushing for the extension and sent a letter to the governor last week calling for a statewide postponement of the due date.
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