County Treasurer-Tax Collector Steven Hintz is reminding property owners that the first installment of 2011/2012 Secured property taxes must be paid on or before Monday, December 12, 2011 this year, since the normal due date of December 10 falls on a Saturday.

Those who wait until one of the last few days can expect to find long lines if paying in person. Budget limitations have greatly reduced the number of seasonal personnel that have traditionally been used to help with the increased volume of work. “This cycle, we are hiring only 3 temporary staff, for an estimated seven days of help,” said Hintz.

The Internet has played a large part in the ability of the Tax Collector’s office to cope with staffing reductions. Last year at this time, the electronic payment option was quietly introduced to those who visited the department’s website. The choice allows taxpayers to have the convenience of printing out a receipt of payment from their computer for a modest transaction fee. The office website is www.ventura.org/taxcollector.

Property owners who mail in their payments are asked to send their payments as early as possible for most efficient processing. State law requires that the postmark be used to determine if a payment was timely.