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Hamer Enterprises Agrees to Help Complete the Project

County staff sent to retrieve late statements
Plan B: Tax officials will ask for refund from contracted supplier.

October 24, 2002

By Emma Perez-Treviño
The Brownsville Herald

County employees were dispatched to San Antonio on Wednesday to recover tax statements that should have been prepared and mailed to Cameron County property owners by Oct. 1.

Only one-fourth of the tax statements due this month have been mailed and county officials said Tuesday they hoped to correct the problem by week’s end.

But Tax Assessor-Collector Tony Yzaguirre said Wednesday that Information Imaging Solutions Inc., the San Antonio-based company contracted to do the job, would not be able to complete the job by Friday.

"So, we are switching to Plan B," Yzaguirre said, noting that staff members were making the 4½-hour drive to retrieve the materials.

McAllen-based Hamer Enterprises — the firm that did the job for the county for eight years but lost the contract this year to Information Imaging’s lower bid — has agreed to help complete the project. The contract is worth about $50,000.

"It was an unforeseen situation," Yzaguirre said. "This is something unexpected. I have been with the county since 1984 and this is the first time that this has happened. It is very upsetting, but getting upset will not take care of the problem."

Yzaguirre said the San Antonio company has received about $39,000 to cover postage and will be asked to return the portion that has not been applied yet. "They are cooperating with us. It’s something that they did not expect," he said.

Imaging Solutions Inc. officials were not available for comment Wednesday.

Despite the delay, taxpayers will have every opportunity to take advantage of an early pay incentive that could save them 3 percent on this year’s tax bill, according to Yzaguirre. The discount is good through Oct. 31.

Tax offices throughout the county will remain open until 6 p.m. during the workweek through the end of the month and extra effort is being made to advise the public of office locations and telephone numbers, starting today.

Tax time

Property owners who pay this year’s tax bill by Oct. 31 are eligible for a 3 percent discount. The discount is 2 percent for November and 1 percent for December payments. Taxes are due in January.

County tax offices will remain open until 6 p.m. through Oct. 31. For locations and information, contact the Cameron County Tax Assessor-Collector’s office at 964 E. Harrison Street, (956) 544-0800.

Property owners can access their statements online at www.cameroncountytax.org

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