Those that have become delinquent on their property taxes have a chance to avoid having their names printed still.

Minnesota Statute requires counties to annually publish a list of taxpayers who are delinquent on their property taxes from the previous year. Property taxes payable in 2018 became delinquent on Jan. 2, 2019, and publication of delinquent Mower County property owners is scheduled to occur in the March 16 and March 30 editions of the Austin Daily Herald, the county’s newspaper for legal notices.

Most property owners would prefer not to see their names listed; however, those who have delinquent property taxes for tax year 2018 still have an opportunity to avoid being included on the delinquent tax list.

Property owners who pay their 2018 property taxes (including penalties and interest that have accrued) in full by Feb. 28, 2019, will be removed from the delinquent tax listing that will be submitted for publication. Paying by that date will also save them a $30 publication fee and stop additional interest from accruing on their property tax balance due.

The Mower County Auditor/Treasurer’s office would like to remind and encourage taxpayers to get caught up on their 2018 property taxes by paying them by the Feb. 28 deadline. Full payment must be received by the Auditor/Treasurer’s office by that day. Merely having the tax payment postmarked on or before Feb. 28 will not be enough to avoid being published in the delinquent tax listing.

The amount of delinquent tax ranges from less than $15 to over $5,000. Taxpayers should review their 2018 property tax statements and their property tax payments to see if they accurately and timely paid their 2018 property taxes. If property taxes are paid through a taxpayer’s mortgage escrow company, there likely will not be any delinquent taxes.

If taxpayers want to verify if they have delinquent 2018 property taxes or want to know the exact amount of their 2018 property tax due, they can contact the Mower County Auditor/Treasurer office at 201 First Ave. NE in Austin, or by calling 507-437-9456 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. during the week. The office will be closed on Monday, Feb. 18, for the Presidents’ Day holiday.