COUNTY TAX OFFICE OFFERS DISTRICTS, HARLINGEN, SERVICES

By Fernando del Valle

Valley Morning Star

The county’s tax office wants to open up to new customers.

So far, Cameron County’s tax office has agreements with 38 taxing districts to offer service to their taxpayers.

Now, only the city of Harlingen and the Harlingen, Los Fresnos and Rio Hondo school districts don’t have interlocal government agreements with the tax office, Tax Assessor-Collector Tony Yzaguirre said Friday.

“When people get their tax bills, the first thing they ask is, ‘Why didn’t we include the taxpayers in those particular areas?’ It’s not up to us,” he said. “It’s up to the three school districts and the city.”

So he wants to enter into agreements with the four taxing districts to allow their taxpayers to pay their taxes at the county’s offices. That’s a total of nearly 114,000 accounts.

“It makes it easier for the taxpayer,” Yzaguirre said.

Streamlining tax services

In Harlingen, the Linebarger, Goggan, Blair & Sampson law firm, which the four taxing districts contract to collect their taxes, operates an office where taxpayers from Harlingen and the Los Fresnos and Rio Hondo school districts come to pay their taxes, Yzaguirre said.

For some customers, that’s a long drive.

Across Cameron County, Yzaguirre oversees 10 offices offering services to taxpayers — including offices in Los Fresnos and Rio Hondo.

Meanwhile, the county’s contracted with Lone Star National Bank, which has opened six offices in the Harlingen, Brownsville and South Padre Island areas to offer services to taxpayers, he said.

“The advantage is you can pay at any location,” Yzaguirre said. “At these offices, we collect current and delinquent (taxes).”

As part of its services, the county is waiving attorneys’ fees, which come up to 15 percent of the amount taxpayers owe, if they make payment arrangements before July 1, he said.

Through August, the four taxing districts can enter into agreements to allow the county to offer its services to their taxpayers, Yzaguirre said.

“I think it’s a win-win for the citizens of these districts,” he said.