House committee advances bill to let township counties accept installment tax payments

The House Committee on Consent and House Procedural voted 8-0 to advance House Bill 19 o 6, a statutory amendment to allow township counties to accept tax payments in installments instead of only as a single lump sum in November or December. The committee approved the bill on the consent calendar after a brief sponsor presentation and limited questions.

Representative Peggy Maga, the bill sponsor, told the committee the change is small and practical. "This is the 3 word change to bring township counties to be able to allow payments," she said, describing the amendment as a narrow fix that would align township counties with other counties' payment options.

Representative Cabralo asked whether township-area taxpayers already pay at county collectors and whether county collectors would object if taxpayers paid quarterly or semiannually. Representative Maga replied that township residents currently pay at the county collector's office and that county collectors, aided by modern computer systems, can process installment payments. She said township collectors were eliminated before 2007 and that the county collector now carries out those functions.

A second question from Representative Reed asked whether the change would create significant new workload or require additional staff training; Representative Maga responded that any additional training or workload would be "absolutely minimal."

After the brief discussion, the chair renewed the motion that House Bill 19 o 6 be given a "do pass" recommendation on consent. The committee called the roll; eight members voted in favor and none opposed. The chair announced the bill had been voted "do pass" on consent and then adjourned the meeting.

The measure will move forward per the chamber's procedural calendar. The transcript records only the committee-level action and questions about administration and staffing; details such as the specific statute language being amended or implementation dates were not specified in the committee record.