MONROE - It's that snow-shoveling, gift-giving, tax-billing time of the year, so don't overlook that official-looking envelope among all the holiday cards and circulars showing up in the mailbox.
Thankfully, municipalities are increasingly making ways to pay tax bills a little less taxing. First installments are due Jan. 31.
The City of Monroe offers a half dozen ways to pay a tax bill, and routine has proven to be the best way to streamline the process for its property owners. Treasurer Stephanie Bachim said the city hasn't made too many changes for the tax season and will once again hire a little extra labor to handle the payment glut that happens around late December and early January.
Residents may make payments at the Treasurer's window in City Hall, 1110 18th Ave., but credit and debit cards are not accepted there. The Treasurer window is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, except holidays.
Payments can be mailed in - just be sure to include the upper portion of the tax statement so the payment can be credited properly. Make the check payable to "City of Monroe" and, if you need a receipt, send along a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Driving downtown? Then drop off tax payments (and water, sewer and trash bill payments) at the city's white, drive-up drop box on 11th Avenue, located next to the U.S. postal boxes across from the post office. No postage is needed for the white box, but do secure all the tax-related items in an envelope.
If you'd like to give your payment envelope a little more security after hours, you can drop it right into city hall. The city hall drop box is located at the north-end, front entrance.
If snow blocks the roads, and all attempts fail to get a tax payment in on time, let the phone or computer do the work - for a little extra cost.
The city's new, online tax payment service provider, Payment Services Network Inc. began last year through the city's website. PSN has Level 1 PCI certification, meaning it gives customers the highest level of security. Users must register to use the site, and it's best to use the most current version of any browser. Instructions are online.
The additional cost? One dollar will be applied to checking and savings payments and 2.75 percent will be applied to credit card payments, with 50 cents applied for payments of less than $100. There are some advantages to using the online payment service: An auto payment option, a history of payments and receipt printing.
If computer use is out of the question, or if the electricity is out during a deep December snowstorm, and you want to make one last ditch effort to pay that bill on time, call Payment Services Network Inc. at 877-885-7968.
Other communities
Green County contracts to collect the first installment of property tax payments for the Towns of Albany, Brooklyn, Exeter, Monroe, New Glarus and Spring Grove and the Villages of Monticello and New Glarus. All other municipalities collect the first installment. The county collects second installments and delinquent taxes for all municipalities.
The Green County Treasurer's office is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday in the historic courthouse at 1016 16th Ave., Monroe. It is closed on holidays.
The county treasurer office accepts memo bills and does not charge for payments submitted this way. Checks are accepted for multiple parcels if documentation indicating the parcel number, the owner's name and the amount to be applied to each parcel is provided. If duplicate payments are received, the county generally refunds the property owner. The postmark is used for processing tax payments.
Payments can be made online, for a 2.3 percent convenience fee, through the "Pay Taxes Online" link at
the county website, www.co.green.wi.gov. Tax bills can be viewed on Land Records System on the county website, under the quick links column.
Bank drop-offs
New Glarus and Monticello property taxpayers can no longer drop payments at the village clerk offices or utility payment drop boxes. But local banks are accepting these payments.
Banks accepting payments for Monticello and New Glarus taxes:
• Greenwoods State Bank in Monticello
• Bank of New Glarus in New Glarus (for Monticello taxes)
• Union Bank and Trust in New Glarus (for New Glarus taxes)
• Sugar River Bank in Brodhead, Belleville, Monroe and Juda
• Belleville Community Bank and Brooklyn Community Bank, (Middleton Community Bank branches)
• Associated Bank in Monroe
Check with the bank for business hours.
Thankfully, municipalities are increasingly making ways to pay tax bills a little less taxing. First installments are due Jan. 31.
The City of Monroe offers a half dozen ways to pay a tax bill, and routine has proven to be the best way to streamline the process for its property owners. Treasurer Stephanie Bachim said the city hasn't made too many changes for the tax season and will once again hire a little extra labor to handle the payment glut that happens around late December and early January.
Residents may make payments at the Treasurer's window in City Hall, 1110 18th Ave., but credit and debit cards are not accepted there. The Treasurer window is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, except holidays.
Payments can be mailed in - just be sure to include the upper portion of the tax statement so the payment can be credited properly. Make the check payable to "City of Monroe" and, if you need a receipt, send along a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Driving downtown? Then drop off tax payments (and water, sewer and trash bill payments) at the city's white, drive-up drop box on 11th Avenue, located next to the U.S. postal boxes across from the post office. No postage is needed for the white box, but do secure all the tax-related items in an envelope.
If you'd like to give your payment envelope a little more security after hours, you can drop it right into city hall. The city hall drop box is located at the north-end, front entrance.
If snow blocks the roads, and all attempts fail to get a tax payment in on time, let the phone or computer do the work - for a little extra cost.
The city's new, online tax payment service provider, Payment Services Network Inc. began last year through the city's website. PSN has Level 1 PCI certification, meaning it gives customers the highest level of security. Users must register to use the site, and it's best to use the most current version of any browser. Instructions are online.
The additional cost? One dollar will be applied to checking and savings payments and 2.75 percent will be applied to credit card payments, with 50 cents applied for payments of less than $100. There are some advantages to using the online payment service: An auto payment option, a history of payments and receipt printing.
If computer use is out of the question, or if the electricity is out during a deep December snowstorm, and you want to make one last ditch effort to pay that bill on time, call Payment Services Network Inc. at 877-885-7968.
Other communities
Green County contracts to collect the first installment of property tax payments for the Towns of Albany, Brooklyn, Exeter, Monroe, New Glarus and Spring Grove and the Villages of Monticello and New Glarus. All other municipalities collect the first installment. The county collects second installments and delinquent taxes for all municipalities.
The Green County Treasurer's office is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday in the historic courthouse at 1016 16th Ave., Monroe. It is closed on holidays.
The county treasurer office accepts memo bills and does not charge for payments submitted this way. Checks are accepted for multiple parcels if documentation indicating the parcel number, the owner's name and the amount to be applied to each parcel is provided. If duplicate payments are received, the county generally refunds the property owner. The postmark is used for processing tax payments.
Payments can be made online, for a 2.3 percent convenience fee, through the "Pay Taxes Online" link at
the county website, www.co.green.wi.gov. Tax bills can be viewed on Land Records System on the county website, under the quick links column.
Bank drop-offs
New Glarus and Monticello property taxpayers can no longer drop payments at the village clerk offices or utility payment drop boxes. But local banks are accepting these payments.
Banks accepting payments for Monticello and New Glarus taxes:
• Greenwoods State Bank in Monticello
• Bank of New Glarus in New Glarus (for Monticello taxes)
• Union Bank and Trust in New Glarus (for New Glarus taxes)
• Sugar River Bank in Brodhead, Belleville, Monroe and Juda
• Belleville Community Bank and Brooklyn Community Bank, (Middleton Community Bank branches)
• Associated Bank in Monroe
Check with the bank for business hours.