COUNTYWIDE : New Property Tax Bills Are in the Mail

The first round of 1991-92 property tax bills have been mailed to 700,000 property owners throughout the county.

The combined billings for this year’s County Consolidated Tax Bills exceed $1.8 billion, according to Robert L. Citron, Orange County treasurer-tax collector.

That is $129 million higher than during 1990-91, Citron reported. That increase, however, was not as steep as last year’s $198-million boost in total billing.

This year’s increase leveled off largely because of the national recession, Citron said. The slowing economy stalled new real estate development and meant lower real estate resale prices.

The recession is also considered responsible for an unusually high number of unpaid property-tax bills, Citron said. Taxpayer delinquency increased about one-third during 1990-91. In all, 3.89% of the billed property owners failed to make a payment, he said.