The Monroe County Treasurer’s Office is set to collect $50.78 million in property taxes this year, up slightly from just less than $50 million last year.

These taxes support the local schools, road districts and municipalities, as well as the county itself…>>>

The county’s portion of this year’s tax bill is down slightly — $6.59 million compared to $6.76 million last year — mostly due to bonds for the old nursing home, new courthouse and annex buildings being paid off.

The county’s current tax rate is .88125 percent, which is down from last year’s rate of .91294 percent.

First payments are due by Friday, July 11, with the second installment due Friday, Sept. 12. Bills can be paid at local banks, at the treasurer’s office in the courthouse, or by mail.  For more information, call 939-8681, ext. 213.

“We encourage everyone to pay early if they can,” Monroe County Treasurer Kevin Koenigstein said.

The overall tax rates in Waterloo, Columbia and Hecker are up very slightly from one year ago, and are down very slightly in Valmeyer and Maeystown.

For a breakdown of tax rates in Monroe County municipalities, see the chart on page 2A of this week’s paper.