Marion County, Iowa Treasures duties include working with County Financial Management, Real Estate, Motor Vehicles, Collection of Property Taxes, and Annual Tax Sale.

COVID-19 VIRUS AND COUNTY SERVICES INFORMATION

The payment of property taxes and the renewal of vehicle registrations can be done online. Please click on the link below.

Marion County Treasurer

AN UPDATE FROM YOUR TREASURER

Please be aware that the Marion County Treasurer's Office will be closed to the public effective the close of business today - 3/18/2020. Going forward, our staff will continue to work on transactions received online, through the mail, emails, and phone calls, but no face-to-face customer service will be conducted until further notice. I ask that you help neighbors and friends who need to process tax and motor vehicle payments that may not be able to access technology or are homebound.

Duties of the Treasurer
The Treasurer is responsible for the receipt, management, disbursement, financial reporting, bonds and investment of all monies paid to the County and serves as agent for the State of Iowa Department of Transportation and Iowa Department of Revenue and Finance.

The Treasurer compiles composite reports from individual record books to general ledgers: reviews and reconciles receipts, bills, and cash received to assure accuracy of figures to prevent discrepancies and financial loss. In addition, the Treasurer categorizes, indexes, files and deposits materials, forms and monies received to assure public funds are administered properly.

New payment options available.  The Marion County Treasurer now has some new options available for paying your property taxes, vehicle license, and title transfers at their counter, along with the existing website payment option. Click here for additional information.

Financial Management
Investment of Revenues,
Keep accurate record of monies received and disbursed,
Check supporting data for all check and cash receipts from all county monies,
Submit accurate financial records for annual audit,
Prepare monthly reports,
Prepare reports throughout the year for the Marion County Board of Supervisors and State Auditor,
Consult with members of the Investment Committee (various members of banking institutions in Marion County),
Update Investment Report annually if law changes ,
ACH transfers of monthly tax payments and from auto dealers,
Send monthly monies to the Iowa Department of Transportation,
Apportion taxes to various entities,
Collect miscellaneous revenues from all county offices and departments.

Real Estate Division
To collect taxes certified for all real estate, mobile homes, special assessments, utilities,
Process Iowa Property Tax Credit Claims for senior citizens or disabled persons,
Pursue collection of tax liens by ordinary lawsuit or by proceeding to the taking of the tax sale deed,
Prepare for publishing a newspaper notice of tax sale,
Conduct annual and adjourned tax sales,
Send notice of delinquent taxes to taxpayers with outstanding taxes as of November 1,
Send notice of annual tax sale no later than May 1,
Process tax sale redemptions.

Motor Vehicle Division
License, title, collect use tax and motor vehicle registrations in Marion County,
Issue duplicate, salvage, in lieu and in transit titles,
Record and release security interests,
Issue junking certificates for vehicles that are dismantled or no longer operable,
Prepare reports for the Iowa Department of Transportation,
Process refund claim forms,
Issue special license plates,
Work with Department of Transportation Investigators,
Process uncollected parking tickets for cities of Marion County.

Collection of Property Taxes
It is the Treasurer’s duty to collect all taxes, certified by the County Auditor, which includes real estate, mobile homes, special assessments, buildings on leased land, equipment assessed as real estate, utilities and grain handlers . The County Auditor delivers tax lists of the various districts to the Treasurer at the beginning of each fiscal year. Taxes are segregated in taxing districts, and the amounts collected are apportioned to the various funds; State, Area Schools, Ag Extension, Assessor/Appraiser, County, School, corporate entities and townships.

Property Tax Payments
Property taxes may be paid in two installments. The first half is due September 1 and becomes delinquent October 1; the second half is due March 1 and becomes delinquent April 1.
Delinquent interest accrues at the rate of 1.5% per month, rounded to the nearest dollar with a minimum of a dollar.

Payments for redemption from tax sale must be paid by guaranteed funds. The rate of interest required by Iowa law to be paid in a redemption is 2% per month.

Notice of Delinquent Taxes
The law requires that a notice be sent to property owners who have outstanding taxes as of November 1. The notification explains that under Iowa law, it is important for property owners to pay taxes and special assessments when they are due in order to avoid the tax sale.
Iowa law also requires that a notice of the annual tax sale shall be mailed not later than May 1 to the person in whose name the parcel subject to sale is taxed. In compliance with this law, a Delinquent Tax Statement and Tax Sale Notice is mailed in April to provide proper notice of the pending tax sale.

Delinquent taxes as of May 1 are assessed a publication fee and must be advertised for sale at the annual tax sale in June.

Tax Sale
The Annual Tax Sale is held the third Monday in June online at www.iowataxauction.com. Any delinquency must be offered for sale at the Regular or Public Bidder Tax Sale. To view "Frequently Asked Questions About Tax Sales" please Click Here.  To register to participate in the Tax Sale Auction Click Here.

Delinquent tax and/or special assessments advertised twice and remaining unsold for want of bidders, must be offered for sale at the annual Public Bidder Sale. Marion County is required by Iowa law to purchase the delinquencies if there is no private sector bidder. Further, once a Certificate of Purchase at Tax Sale has been issued to the County, the Treasurer has the authority to bring an ordinary suit at law for the collection of taxes.