By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Barton County Treasurer Jim Jordan thought all was going well after the county sent out tax statements with corrected mill levies. Then his office began receiving calls with questions about a special assessment from Big Bend Ground Water Management No. 5 (GMD5). Jordan said even though the assessment is on property tax statements, it is not a tax and it applies to all parcels of land in the GMD5 district. It has appeared on tax statements every year since 1976.
"The landowners who do not have water associated with their parcels get upset because they don't have water associated with their parcel," he said. "Barton County puts them both together, water and land, and just uses it as 'water assessment.'"
GMD5 Manager Orrin Feril explained that if land in the district does not have water associated with it, the parcel only gets the land assessment of five cents an acre and does not get the water assessment of $2 per acre-foot. However, because the two items are combined on Barton County statements, the assessment is labeled "Special Assessment - Groundwater."
Jordan said beyond the latest round of questions, everything else is back on track with the mill levies and special assessment.
"Everything that's been adjusted, refunds have been sent out," he said. "Of course, if you didn't get a refund you weren't entitled to one because not all of Barton County was affected. When the rest of the folks pay their taxes on the second half, if there's a refund due to them, they'll get a refund then. The only refunds that went out right now are the people who paid in full."
Last December, Barton County announced a small mill levy error had been made on tax statements impacting a few townships.
Learn more about Big Bend Groundwater Management District No. 5 by CLICKING HERE.