Property tax bills will be in the mail soon, Cleveland County Treasurer Saundra DeSelms said last week.

"Hopefully, they (real estate taxes) will be mailed out the week of the 16th," DeSelms said.

The taxes can be paid by mail, in office or online at www.clevelandcountytreasurer.com. The taxes are due Dec. 31 but if property owners pay at least half by then, the second half will be due March 31, 2010.

Owners whose mortgage companies collect escrow payments and pay the taxes will receive a statement for their records.

The schools have until Oct. 1 to turn in their budgets, DeSelms said. It then takes about a month to get the taxes from the assessor to the treasurer to the computer companies that figure the taxes, print and mail the statements.

"In all the time I've been here (30 years in the treasurer's office), the statements were only out by Nov. 1 once or twice," DeSelms said.

Cleveland County Assessor David Tinsley said taxes are a little higher this year.

"It looks like everything went up a little except Lexington," Tinsley said. "They must have paid something off because theirs went down a little."

DeSelms said she would notify the American when the date is more definite.