COVID-19 has at a minimum been an inconvenience for us all and unfortunately has been tragic for some Marshall County citizens who have lost loved ones or have seen loved ones suffer from the virus. It certainly has turned our world upside-down on our basic routines in life. While some of the world stopped, many things continued like normal or continued in the background.

While the Marshall County Treasurer’s Office has been closed to the public since the middle of March when the pandemic broke out, we have continued our work in the background. My staff has come up with more creative ways to assist our customers in utilizing email, phones and drop box to complete vehicle transfers. We set up daily drop off and pick up times for our local car dealerships to continue the process of local vehicle purchases. We have met customers by appointment in the parking lot who have time constraints on their vehicle and property tax needs. We have processed the vehicle renewals and property tax payments have continued to flow into our office through the mail, online and in our drop box.

While vehicle purchases have declined, our office has processed $1.63 million in motor vehicle transactions for the months of April and May which is down about 19 percent. Additionally, we processed $8.56 million in property taxes during April and May, which is up about 17 percent due to the deadline extensions in March.

To help Iowans who have been affected by COVID-19 with loss of work or cash flow in their businesses and households, Gov. Kim Reynolds has extended the deadlines for property taxes and motor vehicle registration renewals and titling to June 25.

Even with extensions, Marshall County property owners have stepped up as only 2.9 percent of the $56 million the Treasurer’s Office is certified to collect this year is currently unpaid. Once the deadline extensions end, I anticipate a large majority of the unpaid taxes will be paid. It is still possible the governor extends the deadlines again beyond June 25 for property tax and motor vehicle and my office will give the public notice should that occur.

The annual tax sale is currently postponed and possibly cancelled for the year. I have been in contact with the governor’s office as well as the Iowa Department of Revenue as they will make a determination of how to proceed with the tax sale.

If the tax sale for this year is cancelled, the delinquent tax will rollover to next year’s tax sale. If this happens, I don’t anticipate a major impact to local governments and schools as only a sliver of this fiscal year’s revenue would be delayed one year. This small delayed price would be an adequate protection to our property owners who are unable to pay their property taxes because of this pandemic.

The Marshall County Treasurer’s Office continues to be closed to the public. We are monitoring the COVID-19 numbers in our community and working with Great Western Bank to determine the most appropriate time to reopen our doors and serve with social distance standards in place. Until then we will continue serve you in the background.

Online payments can be made at www.iowatreasurers.org. Payments by mail can be sent to:

• Marshall County Treasurer, 1 E Main St., Marshalltown, IA 50158.

The Treasurer’s Office also has a drop box located in the north entrance of the downtown Great Western Bank. Appointments can be made for individuals with time constraints on their vehicle or property tax needs by contacting our office.

Marshall County property information can be found at www.marshallcountyproperty.com. Anyone with questions regarding property tax or motor vehicle inquiries should contact the Marshall County Treasurer’s Office at 641-844-2730 or TreasurersOffice@marshallcountyia.gov.