Economy's impact on Hall tax collections

GAINESVILLE - The number of Hall County property owners seeking a partial payment schedule has increased this year with the worsening economy.

Hall County Tax Commissioner Keith Echols said Wednesday people who have never done so before are coming into his office asking to be allowed to pay their taxes a little bit at a time.

But, Echols says the amount of delinquent taxes has remained about the same so far this year. "It fluctuates from 500,000 to a million dollars each year," he said, but remains around $4 million.

Echols says he has now turned the 2009 delinquent taxes, totaling $4.1 million, over to the tax collection agency which he has used for several years to collect taxes that are past due.

Last year's taxes were due in December.