Platte
County Commission extends lease for South Annex
The Platte County Commission voted to extend the lease
for the South Platte County Annex during its regular administrative
session on March 21. The annex, located at 6500 NW Tower
Drive in Platte Woods, has been in operation since 1998.
The new agreement extends the county's current lease through
June 30, 2007, and locks in the monthly rent at $10.25
per square foot, or $1,537.50 per month.
First District Commissioner Michael Short said the decision
to extend the lease was an easy one due to the popularity
of the annex. "When I took office in 1995, one of
my priorities was to make county government services more
accessible for residents," said Short. "Opening
an annex in the southern part of the county has helped
in meeting that goal and has clearly been well-received
by citizens in the area."
The annex is staffed by members of both the Assessor's
office and the Collector's office. Citizens can visit
the annex to pay taxes, get copies of paid tax receipts,
be assessed for personal property and receive clearance
of non-assessment. Platte County is one of only a handful
of counties in the state that offer two locations for
taxpayer services.
According to Platte County Collector Donna Nash, the
annex has been well-used by residents, especially during
the busy tax season. In the three-month period between
November 2001 and January 2002, for example, more than
5,700 taxpayers visited the annex. In addition, members
of the Collector's annex staff processed nearly 12,000
information requests from mortgage companies and title
companies. In all, the county collected $8.6 million at
the annex during the three-month period.
"The residents who utilize the annex seem grateful
that Platte County realizes the importance of providing
convenient service to all our taxpayers, regardless of
what part of the county they live in," said Nash.
"We do our absolute best to make paying taxes as
painless as possible."
Presiding Commissioner Betty Knight said the county's
primary goal in negotiating an extension to the lease
was locking in rent payments. "We are pleased that
we were able to negotiate a fixed rent payment for the
annex over the next five years," said Knight. "This
is clearly in line with the Commission's commitment to
fiscal responsibility."
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