Knox County Commission Finance Committee met this afternoon. Knox County Trustee Ed Shouse was talking about the conversion of the new software and the failure to send reminder notices about paying property taxes. If you own property and are not paying taxes through your lender, you know that the property taxes are due by the last day of February each and every year. 

Knox County Commissioner Carson Dailey wanted to know about granting a grace period to the property owners that pay late this year. Dailey’s question leads one to believe he is a bleeding heart that desires the county property owners be allowed to skirt the requirement of paying county property taxes another seven to eight weeks, which is a violation of Tennessee Code Annotated (state law). Knox County Commissioner Larsen Jay wanted to know what if a property owner were on vacation for three weeks and come home after March 1, what the penalty would be, state law mandates that amount. If his peers can vacation for three weeks, surely they can pay their property taxes on time (even online while on vacation) or they can afford to pay the penalty that will result from being late.